Secret Alliances
by Elenillor
Summary: Aragorn visits Mirkwood and finally meets King Thranduil. During the process, he learns more about his friend’s tormented past, and the two are thrown into a whirlwind adventure of crossed alliances and secret treaties that can only mean certain death.
1. Reunion

General Disclaimer: I own Minastir, Aldarion, and Telemnar. That's it. I very unfortunately don't own Legolas or the very gorgeous Mr. Bloom, although I did meet him ::huge grin::  
  
Author's disclaimer: Yes, this is a tiny bit AU, well, for now. It may turn very AU at the end, but with Tolkien's world kept in mind. Also, now is a good time to mention my views on Thranduil. I think that his wife is no longer around, based on the fact she is never mentioned. I believe that he is a good ruler with the best intentions, but not always the best actions. For the purpose of my stories, he took the loss of his wife very hard. He maybe irrationally blames Legolas for it. That, however, will be explained in this story.  
  
Series: (Still nameless)  
  
Bed of Lies Family Ties Of Elves and Men  
  
This story can stand on it's own, but I would suggest reading the other first so that little references will be understood. If you don't want to read the others and something confuses you, just ask me in a review and I'll explain it to you.  
  
Happy reading! My replies to Of Elves and Men are at the bottom, as always.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~  
  
A heavy boot had crushed the blades of grass faintly. To the untrained eye, it would have been unnoticeable. However, the eyes of a prince are not untrained, especially those of an elven prince.  
  
The elf smiled to himself. His prey had taken great care in covering their path, but he had not been careful enough. He had centuries of hunt training behind him, and his prey had only thirty. This was going to be far too easy.  
  
The elf rose gracefully to his feet, sprinting along the track the human had left. Very soon, he had his prey in sight. He silently leapt into a tree, and almost held his breath watching the man below him. He waited for the right minute, then dropped behind the man. Still the foe did not notice. The elf unsheathed a long blade, then pounced on the man.  
  
Like a well trained ranger, the man did not yell out. His hands flew up in a gesture of surrender.  
  
"Tsk tsk," the elf whispered. "A ranger should never be caught of his guard."  
  
The man looked out of the corner of his eye, then relaxed when he saw who was behind him. "You scared Melkor out of me." He pushed away from his predator.  
  
"Well, hello Strider."  
  
"Where have you been for the last eight years, Legolas?"  
  
"Well, home. I mean, I am a prince and my father does tend to want me around. Besides, eight years is not a terribly long time."  
  
Aragorn shrugged. "It's long to me. Don't forget, I am human."  
  
Legolas raised his eyebrows. "Come to think of it, that fact did elude me! You do look considerably like and elf, what with the round ears and short hair and stalky body."  
  
Aragorn rolled his eyes. "First of all, my body is not stalky. Secondly, you do not have to be so sarcastic."  
  
Legolas smiled. "How have you been?"  
  
Aragorn nodded his head in a positive manner. "I've been well. And yourself?"  
  
"I've been at home." There was a somber note to the light remark.  
  
"I don't understand, is that a bad thing?"  
  
The two began walking farther along the road towards Rivendell. "Yes and no."  
  
Aragorn chuckled.  
  
Legolas looked at the human. "What, may I ask, is so funny?"  
  
"It's just that Gandalf told me once, 'Never seek counsel from the elves; they will tell you both yes and no'. Anyway, continue."  
  
"It's just that my father can be a bit demanding at times."  
  
"Yeah, but I bet he was glad to see you home after our last incident with that woman." Aragorn quieted and noticed the uneasy silence between them. He knew that neither of them trusted how easily they had managed to escape last time.  
  
Legolas quietly answered, "I missed a banquet."  
  
"So? That's not a big deal. I bet your father has plenty of those anyway."  
  
Legolas smiled at his friend. He would never understand, until perhaps, he visited Mirkwood. He changed the subject. "Why are you taking such care to cover your tracks?"  
  
"There supposedly a band of orcs roaming around again. I didn't want them to catch my trail." He turned to the elf. "I'm glad you're back."  
  
"So am I, Strider. So am I."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~  
  
Elrohir watched the arrival of his little brother and his best friend from the balcony of his father's library. He smiled at the animated debate Aragorn seemed to be having with the elf prince.  
  
"Legolas has come," he said casually.  
  
Elrond briefly looked up from his books. "Indeed? A wonder he escaped the duties of his home."  
  
"You mean it's a wonder he escaped his father."  
  
Elrond did not try to hide the smile on his lips. "Now, Elrohir, Thranduil is a very good king."  
  
"You're not taking his side, are you?"  
  
"No, my son. He is a good king, but I disagree on his views of raising a child. Legolas turned out wonderfully in spite of him. Although, if I remember correctly, he was known as the 'blonde terror' for quite some time."  
  
Elrohir laughed, but was sobered by Elrond's next comment. "You and your brother. . . I lost count of all the names that were bestowed upon you." He sighed. "I suppose I should cherish these moments."  
  
"What moments, Ada?"  
  
"When both Legolas and my son are coming to me of their own will. You have to admit, those two have a knack for attracting trouble. I worry about the two of them together, if Legolas' last visit is any indication."  
  
Elrohir nodded, a bright smile still on his face. "Legolas is okay with men now, it seems."  
  
"No, Legolas is okay with Estel. Sometimes I am not even so sure of that." Elrond still had his face buried in his paperwork, so Elrohir decided to leave him be and greet the two at the door.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~  
  
Aragorn walked down the long hallway of Elrond's palace, as it were, with a glass of water in his hand. The hour was late, and he was in his pajamas.  
  
He noticed that the light to his father's library was shining dimly in the hallway. Curious as to why his father was still awake, he made a small detour on the way back to his room.  
  
He got close enough to realize that Elrond was speaking with someone. The voices were muted, for the door was only partially open. He stopped just before the shadow ended, and listened intently.  
  
"He was angry."  
  
It was Legolas' voice. He sounded as though he were trying to hide his emotion.  
  
"Legolas, you know your father loves you."  
  
The prince sighed. "I know. He just prefers not to show it. Which is the right thing, I mean, I am being trained as a warrior, and warriors do not show emotion-"  
  
"That's no excuse, Legolas, and you know that."  
  
"I just don't understand him, Elrond. I almost died, and all he could say was, 'You missed the Mid-Winter's Ball'."  
  
"You must understand, Legolas, that your father had to raise you entirely on his own. Your mother died not very far into your childhood, and he was left as a single parent, alone with his grief and a child. I had the fortune of raising two of my boys with a wonderful wife, and they had a motherly influence. They were old enough to have had an upbringing before my wife died. You were not granted that."  
  
Legolas nodded, but did not say anything.  
  
"Thranduil is doing the best he knows how to. Understand, Legolas, that just because he doesn't love you in the way you want him to, it doesn't mean that he doesn't love you with all he's got." He looked at Legolas and chuckled. "You should also remember that death has a tendency to attract you, as it has since the day you were born. The news that you almost died is not new to your father, and by this point in time, it is probably easier for him to ignore the comments that deal with the grief that your death would bring upon him."  
  
"Well, and the stress that I caused him by missing a ball."  
  
Elrond sighed, but Legolas took not notice.  
  
"I mean, come on. We're Mirkwood elves. We never have banquets. The Valar know that we don't even drink!"  
  
There was a short silence, then the elf-lord let his laughter ring out. Legolas looked up and smiled.  
  
"You are too sharp witted for your own good. I fear it will get you in trouble one day."  
  
"My lord, if you remember correctly, it has already delivered me into the hands of trouble."  
  
"Indeed. Go rest, Legolas. I am sure my sons will require you to have your energy in the morning."  
  
Aragorn heard shuffling from the room, and retraced his steps quickly. He was not quick enough for the elf, however.  
  
"Hello, Strider."  
  
The man stopped, and his shoulders fell. He turned to his friend with a look of supreme guilt in his eyes. "I'm sorry."  
  
Legolas walked forward to meet Aragorn where he was. "Who said I was going to accuse you of anything?" He paused. "And you are not supposed to admit being in the wrong. Did your brothers teach you nothing?"  
  
"I didn't mean to listen. It's just. . ."  
  
"If I didn't want you to hear it, I would have stopped talking."  
  
"Yeah, if you had known I was there."  
  
Legolas rolled his eyes and looked pointedly at Aragorn as they walked towards the ranger's room.  
  
"You did know I was there?" Aragorn was crestfallen.  
  
Legolas nodded.  
  
"Oh." They walked in silence for a few minutes. "Still, I'm sorry."  
  
"There is nothing to be sorry for, mellon."  
  
"Well. I am going to bed. I will see you in the morning at breakfast."  
  
Legolas nodded once, then continued down the hallway to his own room. He had a lot to think about.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~  
  
Reviewers: Hey! I'm back and ready to go! I think I may start a Pirates of the Caribbean fanfiction soon. I have a good idea that I just can't turn into a LotR idea at all. We'll see. Oh, and if anyone has an idea for what to call this series I've got going, please feel free to send them my way. I'll give you credit! Pretty please?  
  
Elizabeth Black: Well, now that we have that straightened out, sheesh. Lol, I'm just kidding. Sorry about that. Thank you, thank you!  
  
SPEoD: Haha, I was wondering if you were spelling it right as well. No, you're not. Possessed. Two s's the second time. Uhm, I suggest reading Shandoli by Shaan Lien and Into the Labyrinth by Amorous. I really like those. We'll learn a lot of what happened in those two stories, plus a lot about Legolas' past that hasn't been covered yet. (The plot bunnies are at work, mwahahaha.) Plus, I'm still working on a back story to Family Ties. Haha, yeah, and "please update" is really hard to respond to and I love responding to all of my reviewers. I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long! Thanks for being so devoted!  
  
Dimostiel: Ah, I like corny jokes. Except when my professors tell them. Anyway, lol, what do you think so far? Wait, never mind, there's really no conflict yet. (I'm good at keeping track of my own stories, lol.)  
  
Das Blume: I picked that preview because it shows you a little bit of what Aragorn thinks of Thranduil, a little itty bitty tiny bit of the point of the story, plus some interaction between the friends. It shouldn't make sense, really. If it does, then I'm doing something wrong. ::smiles:: Haha, yeah, Legolas just can't win.  
  
Gwyn: You didn't think I'd actually kill him, did you? Nah, if I ever kill him, it will be far more creative than a hanging.  
  
Tamara: Thank you! Hope the wait wasn't too long.  
  
Wilwarin: Thanks. There are going to be a ton more sequels because this is a series.  
  
Sky: Hm, I can't tell you when the Lady will come again, but she will pop up again, and believe me, she's looking for blood. Yeah homework bites.  
  
Bec: I'm such an idiot. I'm like, why hasn't Bec or Sara reviewed yet and you already did. I'm a dork. Anyway, no, I won't kill him yet. Unbelievable? Dear, was any of my story actually believable? Lol. Besides, that was the resolution for the story, the plot continues on. ::Evil smiles:: I don't think ME has to worry as much as Estel and Legolas. Those two attract trouble like bugs to a little blue light.  
  
Lulu Bell: YAY! ! ! ! ! ! ! Great job in your game! We won ours that was tonight. (25 to 8.) It was sweet. Haha, oh wow, I actually said Holy Monkeys? Hm, it just kind of slips out. I say it all the time in normal conversation. (I'm an odd one, I'll admit it.) Good luck at your next soccer match!  
  
Gilraen: Ah, thanks! Yeah, I figured men had most of the fun, so why shouldn't the evil person be female? (Evil roles are always the most fun to play, and to write, I've noticed.)  
  
Luthien: Yeah, I'm sick too. And I'm glad there's technology between us, or I think you might have hurt me severely, lol.  
  
Anolinde: Lol. I liked that too. All the sarcasm that Legolas gives off is so much fun! "There's a door." "Where does it go?" "It stays where it is, I think." I liked that one too.  
  
Lomiothiel: We will see the Lady again, I swear it. Revenge will be paid, (or so she's tellin' herself.) Thank you for the kind review!  
  
Jadelyn Rashwe: Thanks! I tried to hurry! 


	2. Confrontation

Author's note: It was pointed out to me that Elrond's wife did not die, but she instead went to the Undying Lands. I knew that somewhere in the recess of my Tolkien knowledge, but missed it last chapter. Anyway, there you have it, what ACTUALLY happened. PS. I still need a name for my series. Also, no one knows exactly how old Legolas is, my interpretation here is just one of the theories.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~  
  
Soft sunlight filtered through the window, cascading the bed in a warm glow. Its inhabitant rolled over, groaning softly.  
  
Legolas let his eyes open slowly. It had felt so nice to sleep again in Rivendell, a place so safe and peaceful to him. It was more of a home to him than Mirkwood was.  
  
He glanced out the window where the sun had barely risen above the horizon. The hour was still early, and the prince doubted that anyone else in Elrond's house was yet awake. Still, he was used to rising early in his own home, and he knew there was no use in trying to fall back asleep.  
  
He rubbed a hand over his face, wiping the remnants of weariness from his eyes. He readied himself quickly, then silently opened his door and wandered towards the library.  
  
He smiled to himself upon reaching his destination. He remembered being there as a small child, and staring at the collection of books in awe. His own father had a limited number of books, most of which had been his wife's, Legolas mother. He would not allow his son to read any of them, mostly because it was too painful for him.  
  
Elrond had countless shelves filled with books on every topic from traveling to fantasy stories. They were easy to access, almost welcoming in a way.  
  
He walked towards the bookcase farthest to the left and skimmed the titles. His fingers finally closed on a story he had heard read many times in the elf lord's castle. Breathing deep, he searched for one page in particular.  
  
"You always were mesmerized by these books."  
  
Legolas, startled, nearly dropped the book in his hands. He smiled. "I did not think you would be awake."  
  
"I wasn't until just a few moments ago."  
  
"Then I suppose you awoke the same time I did." Legolas moved to a chair by the window, his finger delicately holding his place in the book.  
  
"I shouldn't be surprised that you came here. Did you sleep well?"  
  
"I did, Lord Elrond. Thank you."  
  
"There is no need to thank me. Do you find solace in these books?"  
  
Legolas paused; the question surprised him. He finally nodded slowly. "I always did. They are not mere books, lumps of lifeless paper, but minds alive on the shelves. They are a person's most valuable friend. They let you use them whenever you need, and they wait patiently for you, holding your spot, until you return to them at your leisure."  
  
Elrond was smiling.  
  
"I'm sorry," Legolas said, shaking his head. "That must sound so childish."  
  
"No, it doesn't. I felt the same way about them until I met my wife. I'll admit, after she was gone, I found solace in these books again. I understand you."  
  
He locked eyes with Legolas, communicating the true meaning to his last statement. The prince did not respond, so Elrond continued. "You have in you your past, shut like the leaves of a book, known to you by heart. Let your friends read more than just the title, Legolas. Let them past your title."  
  
Lord Elrond, in his infinite wisdom, had connected with Legolas. He had opened the prince up, if just for a second, and broke down the wall that the elf had built around himself. He could see it in the young one's eyes. But just as quickly as it had been torn down, the wall grew to its original height. Elrond smiled to himself, though. If nothing else, he had taken out a brick, and that was a start. He knew that Aragorn would help him breach the wall. It would be a long process, but he had faith in his son.  
  
"Shall we wake the others?" The elf lord asked cheerfully, rising from his seat.  
  
Legolas looked at the book in his hands. "Yes."  
  
Elrond sighed. "You may have that book, if it so pleases you."  
  
Legolas' head shot up. "Are you sure, my lord?"  
  
Elrond smiled and nodded. "Now let's go. You have a long day ahead of you, if I know my sons at all."  
  
Legolas rose from the chair slowly, following the elf lord into the hall. Aragorn met them from his doorway, yawning.  
  
"A bit too early for you?"  
  
Aragorn narrowed his eyes at Legolas. "Why in the name of Middle-Earth are you awake this early?"  
  
Legolas laughed at the grogginess in his friend's voice. "I'm used to being up this early. Father requires it."  
  
"Oh." He nodded at the book Legolas held. His finger still held he page he had been searching.  
  
"Looking for something in particular?"  
  
"Aye, i nangweth," came the reply.  
  
Aragorn yawned again. "The answer to what?"  
  
"Just the answer." Legolas looked up at the sound of a thud and started laughing.  
  
"Hey, that wasn't funny," the human was distractedly rubbing his face.  
  
"Most people walk through doorways, human. Not into them."  
  
Elrond poked his head back into the hallways. "What did you do, Estel?"  
  
"Nothing," he grumbled. "You two should not be up this early. It should be against the law."  
  
"I'll bring that up at the next counsel, Estel." The elf lord looked at Legolas, smiled, then disappeared into the great hall again.  
  
"Where are we going today, Strider?"  
  
"Going? Whatever do you mean?" It was evident that he was still angry about his run in with the wall.  
  
"Well, every time I come here, I am whisked away into some adventure. So. where are we going today?"  
  
"Don't you remember the last time you were here? Perhaps those adventures are not what you should most look forward too."  
  
Legolas sat down in a nearby chair. Aragorn paid him little heed. "That last time I was here gained us both a friendship that otherwise would not have been."  
  
Aragorn sighed, a slumped into a chair next to his friend. "Yeah, yeah. I hate when you're right. Well, we'll find out what we're doing when all the normal people wake up."  
  
"I would hardly call your brothers normal."  
  
Aragorn laughed. "I suppose you're right." He paused. "You know, I've always wondered. . . are you older or younger than my brothers?"  
  
Legolas shrugged, not surprised by the complete randomness of the question. "It never really mattered enough for us to find out."  
  
"We're older," a tired voice interjected.  
  
Legolas smiled. "Well, it never really mattered to me, but your brothers feel the need to beat me at something, and if age is the only way they can, who am I to interfere with that?" He looked at Aragorn, who was laughing.  
  
The twin to the first voice, after glaring at Legolas, asked, "What are you two doing awake at this hour?"  
  
Aragorn smiled at Elladan. "I've been asking him that for a while."  
  
Legolas sighed, rolling his eyes to Elrohir, the only one in the hall that understood. His friend shrugged, then motioned them all into the great hall.  
  
Elrond looked up at them, barely acknowledging their presence. "Breakfast should be here shortly."  
  
"So, Legolas," Elrohir said as he sat in the chair on his father's left. "What shall we do today?"  
  
Elladan took the chair on his father's right, and Legolas the chair next to him. Aragorn sat across from him.  
  
"Strider mentioned something of orcs?"  
  
Elrond snapped to attention. "I forbid it."  
  
"Father," the twins moaned in unison.  
  
"No, you all know full well what happened last time you went searching for orcs." He glanced at their guest. "I would not make enemies with Thranduil by letting his son get killed."  
  
"You've come close a few times, Ada," Elrohir mumbled under his breath. The elf lord glared at his son.  
  
Legolas half-heartedly smiled at the jest. "You never did show me that cave."  
  
"All right, we'll go there," Elladan said, smiling as a servant set a plate before him.  
  
Elrond raised an eyebrow at his son. He knew full well that it was no use telling his sons not to search for the orcs, for they would anyway.  
  
"I swear, Ada. No orcs."  
  
"Why does this conversation sound so oddly familiar?" Elrond looked at Legolas. He was reading the book he had acquired rather contentedly. He decided to go out on a limb; something he was very careful about doing when it involved the prince. He still saw Legolas as fragile, though physically, the prince was anything but. "How is Mithfalas?"  
  
A thick silence followed. Both twins had fixed their eyes on Legolas, waiting for a reaction. Legolas, in turn, was watching Elrond. Aragorn once again felt left out and not so blissfully ignorant. He glanced at every face in the room; his father's was the only one who seemed calm.  
  
"You know, last time I was here, I never did get to compete in that archery competition."  
  
Elrohir laughed. "We actually canceled it, because all four of us were missing at the time."  
  
"Legolas."  
  
Elrohir let the smile fade from his lips, and Legolas sighed, his shoulders falling in defeat.  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"Would you mind expounding upon that." Lord Elrond did not intend it as a request.  
  
"My father forbids me to have communications with him. He himself will not even accept letters. If you don't mind my asking, Lord Elrond, what brought him to mind?"  
  
The elf lord sat back in his chair. "Arwen wrote to us about him."  
  
At the mention of Arwen, Aragorn watched Legolas for a reaction.  
  
"How is she?"  
  
"You cannot avoid him, Legolas. I see no reason why you would want to. His dispute is with your father alone, and he did not intend for it to involve you."  
  
The prince's eyes flashed. "But it did involve me. He left when I most needed him to stay." He let his voice die in shameful realization of how childish he sounded. He let his eyes drop back to the book, but he was not really reading.  
  
Elrond looked at Elladan, then to the door. His son nodded, giving Elrohir the same motion, who, in turn, nudged Aragorn. The three left swiftly.  
  
The two remaining elves sat in silence for a while. Elrond watched Legolas carefully. The prince kept his eyes down, but Elrond could see all the emotion within them.  
  
"Well," Legolas said in a much harsher tone than was intended, "Say what you will. Get it over with."  
  
Elrond leaned on the table. "You cannot hold a grudge against him. He saved your life once, do you remember?"  
  
"And then he abandoned me shortly there after."  
  
"He didn't have a choice, Legolas. Mithfalas is one of the most noble elves I have had the pleasure of knowing. You are following in his steps."  
  
Legolas finally looked up, rage in his eyes. "Don't say that! I do not want to be anything like him!"  
  
"You did, once."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~  
  
Aragorn looked to his brothers, waiting for an explanation as to what was going on with his friend. Elrohir read the look in his eyes well.  
  
"I don't know how much I can tell you," he said.  
  
"Shh!" Elladan hissed. "They are raising their voices now. You can hear exactly what they are saying."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~  
  
"Legolas! Listen to yourself! You do not mean that!"  
  
Legolas sat back in his chair, folding his arms over his chest.  
  
"Don't close yourself off to me. Talk to me, son of Thranduil."  
  
Legolas shot daggers at the older elf with his eyes. "What did Arwen say of him?" He didn't really want to know, but it would get Elrond off his back. He also knew that he could not push much harder without getting in trouble.  
  
"He was visiting the Golden Wood. Asked if the two of you were still engaged."  
  
Legolas looked up, mildly curious. "But he left before I asked for Arwen's hand."  
  
"Firstly, Legolas, Mithfalas did not leave you. He was banished. Do you remember that? Or did your father hide that from you?" He did not give Legolas a chance to respond. "Secondly, though your family may have given up contact with him, mine did not."  
  
"He should have taken me with him."  
  
Elrond shook his head sadly. "Legolas, my boy, he wanted to. But that would have left Mirkwood without a prince, and he knew you would be all right."  
  
The young elf made no response. He waited a moment, then rose to his feet, bowed his head, and left.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~  
  
Aragorn saw Legolas exit the great hall, and ran up to him. He reached out his hand, and placed it on Legolas' shoulder.  
  
The elf's body shivered involuntarily. Legolas closed his eyes before turning to Aragorn. He hadn't meant to react that way. Aragorn seemed not to have noticed.  
  
"Are you-"  
  
"I am fine."  
  
Aragorn sighed. "Why do I even bother asking?"  
  
"Legolas,"  
  
The voice drew the prince away from his friend. "Yes, my lord?"  
  
"I will need Elrohir and Elladan today. However, Aragorn is free this afternoon."  
  
Legolas nodded his head once.  
  
The man waited until Elrond had left. "So, that's it then. Let's go."  
  
"Go where?" Legolas was still irritated by the earlier conversation.  
  
"To the cave," Aragorn said, as though it was the most obvious thing in all of middle earth.  
  
"Oh. No, Strider, not today."  
  
"Yes, today. You're not going to get out of it. Let's go."  
  
Legolas sighed. He was not in the mood to match his friend's stubborn behavior, though he could have easily. "All right, let's go."  
  
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Reviewers: You guys got a long chapter today, comparatively. Talk to me, did you like the OC? Can you see where my plot bunnies might be running with this? (Mithfalas does have a purpose, I promise.) Absolutely hate it? Let me know!  
  
HalandLeg4ever: Thank you!  
  
True-Slytherin-Girl: Thanks. Hope it stays as good as the beginning!  
  
ForceofHobbit: Lol, nah, I don't care how fast you read, just that you are! ::big smiles:: thanks!  
  
Angel With No Wings: Ah, it's okay. You put me on ur fav authors list, so I knew you were there. (Thanks for that, by the way.) And yay! A really long review! No, really, I am wonderful too. (Lol, I'm just kidding. I'm not that egotistical, lol.) Thanks! You're so sweet! Haha, you know, I was thinking that too, and wondering just how many people would see him in like, little boy pajama's. . . the cowboy print. I was cracking up reading it. I dunno, I guess he'd just use a nightshirt. Believe, you don't talk too much. Can you imagine how much his bed would smell if he wore his regular clothes? Ew. Thanks for the review!  
  
Bec: Lol. You crack me up. Every time. Yeah I know, the last tory just kind of jumped into things,  
  
Moro the Wolf God: Thanks.  
  
SPEoD: And it's even spelled correctly! A sugar high? No, really? I couldn't tell, lol. Sheesh, no more sugar, I command you, or I won't update forever. Ah, I couldn't survive without riding. I've fallen off so many times, I couldn't name them all. Been stepped on enough, gotten kicked once, (not my fault,) fell off and landed on a jump once. Fell off during a circle/canter/buck. My back has hurt me ever since. The doctor's say I shouldn't ride anymore. Ha, yeah frickin' right, lol. Thanks for the incredibly long and hyper review!  
  
Lizzie: Ah, but Thranduil's got good intentions. Really, he does, lol. It just won't seem like it for a while.  
  
Deana: Hm, "some" is one way to put it, lol. Thanks for the review! And thanks for the second one too!  
  
Limiothiel: Haha, yeah, no kidding. Happy reading!  
  
Luthien: Dear, before I get into a really long speech, you're reading the wrong story if you don't want elf torture. Second, have you ever tried getting something published? What you're going through is the very reason a lot more talented authors don't become published. I understand that you may not be trying to get published, but you can't write for the public. If you write for them, they will tear you apart like wolves. If YOU like your story, than you keep writing it, and that's all that matters. Also, as a side note, I like your story and I'm reading it, and I haven't noticed that many spelling errors. I'll look for them next time, but usually that type of thing stands out to me, (being an English major and all,) so take whatever comfort that might give you. Be happy, write because you love it, and don't let one bad review make you stop.  
  
Dimostiel: Ah, lol. That's okay!  
  
Alkvingiel: Thanks! Ah, I feel like an idiot. It took me a while to understand what you meant. I kept thinking, "Leggy didn't almost die in that chapter." (It's really late, lol.) Do you plan on reading any of the other stories, or would you just like me to give you the reader's digest version?  
  
Gwyn: Haha. I love your little synopsis of death by hanging. Well, yes, assuming it snaps. Then, what if by miracle it doesn't? Then they hang there until they suffocate. I have to warn you, in this story, Thranduil does some stuff that will portray him as a bad father figure, but that is not my view of him at all. I love him, and firmly believe that he is trying to be the best father and king he can be, but as seen from the Hobbit, his temper can get the best of him. Things with him will be resolved, and just remember that this will end up being a good thranduil series! Ah, darn it, I had the orcs part right, I just could not remember what happened after that. Thank you for pointing it out. (Kudos, you know your stuff!)  
  
Bunny-Lover: Thanks! Hope it keeps you interested.  
  
Nikki: Lol, I am writing a series. And for some reason, so many people have said, "I'm back," and I keep thinking of "I'll be back," which is timely considering California's new governor. Lol, anyway. . .  
  
Sara: You're back! (Starts cracking self up. See above note. Sheesh, I need a life.) Lol, CPR. You and your sister, I swear. Evil lady will be back, but I'm not going to tell you when. ::evil grin::  
  
F h c: Thanks! Can I ask what the name stands for? Ah, jeez, you're sweet! Thanks! Interesting ending, is that a good or bad interesting? Lol. You're making me blush, dude. As wow, I've never gotten so many reviews from one person before, this is so awesome! Lol, yeah, they didn't like each other very much there in the beginning, did they? Oh, darn it, that was almost my 35 poor Legolas. I guess I have 35 ½ now, lol. Thanks for all the reviews!  
  
Das Blume: ::Hugs back:: I missed you too! I love you, man. Lol, sorry. It's late and I still have a term paper to write. Lmao! Oh wow, that had me cracking up. "Well, there's a ball tomorrow. Can you tell him to hurry up with it?" Haha, see Legolas with one of those tags on his ear so his father can keep track of him. Yeah, I know, my chapters are really short. It's usually just the way I break them up, but this one was a whole page longer in Word. Right on, yeah? Thanks for that review, ah, it was funny. "Be ready at six."  
  
Bill the Pony2: Truthfully, I agree. However, I won't write Frodo/Sam stuff because A. I don't like Frodo, and B. I am scared I wouldn't do justice to Sam. Legolas/Aragorn you can play with, but the Frodo/Sam relationship is untouchable, lol.  
  
Sky: Gee, I have no idea who she might be after. What a mystery! And I can't tell you that. Technically, SHE'S not gonna do anything. She'll let others do her dirty work, (and she doesn't come in this story.) So you're just gonna have to keep reading to find out, lol.  
  
Pirate-chicha: What happened, as in, why did he almost die? Is that what you mean? Let me know, and I'll gladly explain! 


	3. Going Home

Chapter three. No, you haven't read about Mithfalas yet, though a couple of you are pretty close at figuring out who he is. Enjoy, I tried to make it long, but it turned out way longer than I wanted. You're next chapter is probably going to be really short, just warning you. Also, now is a good time to remind of my views on Thranduil, and there is a really sweet scene with him and Legolas coming up very soon, okay No death threats on canon breaking. I think I've justified myself enough now. Happy reading!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~  
  
Elrond sat in his large chair, facing the entryway to his home. He heard merry voices coming ever nearer. He casually glanced out the window to find that the moon had long passed from his vision.  
  
The door was thrown open and Legolas and Aragorn stumbled in, both caked in mud, and seemingly wet.  
  
"The hour is late."  
  
The sentence was spoken very softly, but it sobered both friends immediately. Legolas remained quiet, but Aragorn began finding excuses. "I'm sorry, Father. We lost track of time-"  
  
"The fading of the sun did not alert you then?"  
  
"And then my horse began spooking madly-"  
  
"Spooking at what, may I ask?"  
  
"So Legolas and I were trying to calm her down, and then Legolas' horse began spooking," he looked sideways as his friend looked at him with disdain.  
  
His father had apparently caught the error in the statement as well. "Legolas, you have suddenly found yourself without the ability to read your horse?"  
  
"No, sir, but I was so preoccupied with Strider's horse, that Elentari was neglected. It was only because of your son's lack of capability." Legolas could not resist the barb towards his friend.  
  
"And all of this took how long?"  
  
"Well, not long at all, actually. But just as we were remounting, a soldier came walking towards us, and proclaiming that he was. . ." Aragorn was searching for something to say. "Mandos!"  
  
Legolas winced.  
  
The man continued. "Clearly he was off his beam."  
  
Elrond tried to hide his smile. "Clearly."  
  
"And he blocked our path, so, we had to convince him that he was indeed not one of the Valar. Then, he remembered who he really was. Just like that! However, he was lost, so we had to show him the way to where he was going-"  
  
"And where was he going, Estel?"  
  
The human looked to Legolas for help, but the elf had his head in his hand, and was trying desperately not to laugh.  
  
"Uhm. . . oh! Tarduian's kingdom."  
  
"You went out that far?"  
  
"Well I had to show Legolas the cave."  
  
"And what did you think of it, Legolas?"  
  
The elf lifted his head. Elrond couldn't possibly be falling for this, could he? "It was rather fascinating."  
  
"What was fascinating about it?"  
  
"Well, it. . ." He glanced behind the elf lord's chair, in the doorway, where Elrohir had appeared. He was making motions with his hands. ". . . had marvelous stalagmites."  
  
Elrond nodded. "Estel, go to bed. I will deal with you in the morning."  
  
The young man sighed, then looked at Legolas and shrugged. "I tried. I'll see you in the morning."  
  
Once Aragorn had gone, Elrond spoke again. "Elrohir, go to bed." The elf behind him straightened up, obviously unaware to that point that his father knew of his presence. "Legolas, why were you so late in?"  
  
"My lord, if you must know, we had a run in with orcs. We didn't go searching for them, mind you. They found us."  
  
"They usually do, don't they? You need to return home."  
  
"What? My lord, I only just arrived. If did something to offend you, truly I am sorry-"  
  
Elrond sighed. "You did nothing, Legolas. I know you just arrived, but a messenger from your father arrived today. You are needed back in Mirkwood."  
  
Legolas sat back, defeated. "There was a time when I looked forward to going home."  
  
He ignored the comment. "I think he only requires your presence for an ambassador that is there. If it would make the time more bearable, take Estel with you."  
  
Legolas raised an eyebrow. "You would allow that?"  
  
Elrond nodded. "I trust you to protect him. I trust your father not to lose his temper with my child."  
  
"No, he only does that with his own children."  
  
Elrond shook his head sadly. "Has he done anything since Mithfalas left?"  
  
"No, my lord."  
  
"Legolas, look me in the eyes and tell me no."  
  
The elf looked up, but was silent for a minute. Finally, he said, "No, my lord. But there is always the threat hanging in the air. It's as if he dares me to cross him, or to even mention Mithfalas."  
  
"Or to cry?"  
  
"That is not befitting of a warrior, my lord."  
  
"Stay the night, Legolas. You can leave in the morning. Now please, go rest."  
  
Legolas rose and turned towards the door, but Elrond made him stop in his tracks.  
  
"Perhaps one day you will get to see that cave."  
  
Legolas laughed. "Perhaps, my lord. Again I thank you for your hospitality."  
  
"You are always welcome under this roof, Legolas. Always, not matter the circumstance."  
  
Legolas nodded, then retreated to his room.  
  
'One day,' Elrond thought to himself, 'that boy will get himself into more trouble than he can ever imagine. He will truly follow his brother's path.'  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~  
  
Aragorn looked at his friend, who was staring off into the distance. His mind was somewhere else, somewhere past the corruption of this world.  
  
"What are you thinking about, Legolas?"  
  
The voice drew Legolas back to reality very slowly. He paused before responding. "I'm not sure. How very little I like snow. How much I am dreading returning to my father so soon. How much I enjoy your company."  
  
Aragorn smiled. "I'm surprised your horse isn't walking on top of this snow."  
  
The elf laughed lightly. "No, Strider. Only elves can do that, not our horses. Though, it would make this journey far easier."  
  
"No it wouldn't."  
  
Legolas looked at his human companion. "What did you say?"  
  
"You would find some other reason to travel slowly."  
  
Legolas sighed, returning his gaze to the horizon. "I suppose."  
  
"I have to tell you, I'm really excited about meeting your father."  
  
Legolas laughed. "Now who's being sarcastic?"  
  
A while later, after a very long journey due to bad weather, Legolas looked up. "Well, here we are. My father's halls."  
  
Aragorn looked up. "You live in a cave?"  
  
Legolas said defensively, "It is not a cave! Far from it my friend, our halls are not those of the dwarves."  
  
"Sorry," the man mumbled, not noticing the difference. It did look remarkably like a cave.  
  
Before Legolas could say the magic word, the gates were flung open. "Hurry, Legolas! Your father is in a frenzy!"  
  
"Thank you, Minastir. Would you take our horses to the stables, and show Strider here where he will be staying?"  
  
"Of course, my lord. Strider, is it?"  
  
The man nodded absently, watching Legolas rush to his destination.  
  
"Follow me, please."  
  
Aragorn took one last glance at his friend, then followed the other elf in a different direction.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~  
  
Legolas took a deep breath of composure before stepping into his father's study.  
  
"Legolas! Where have you been? The ambassador is arriving tonight, within the hour. What took you so long?"  
  
"Father, please, calm down. I returned home as quickly as the weather would allow."  
  
In a rare moment of peace, Thranduil looked Legolas in the eye. "I was worried."  
  
"I am sorry, Father."  
  
"Please, go get dressed. Your nicest attire. This is important."  
  
"I understand, Father. So that you know, Strider of Elrond's house has accompanied me here."  
  
"The human?" There was a hint of distaste in the elf's voice.  
  
"Only by race, Father, not by mannerism."  
  
The king raised a think eyebrow at his son.  
  
"Of all people, father, you can trust me on the behaviors of men."  
  
Thranduil said nothing, but nodded at his son to hurry. The prince bowed, then retreated to his chambers.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~  
  
Legolas searched through his drawers with lightning speed. 'My nicest attire. . . where is it?' He was looking for his silver tunic, but it was nowhere to be found. He finally settled on a rich green one, and quickly threw it over his head.  
  
"Ah," he said out loud. "I left it in Rivendell. Since the last time I saw Arwen."  
  
There was an abrupt knock at the door. "Yes?"  
  
"My lord," it was Minastir's voice. "The guests are here. Your father is leading them into the Great Hall and has requested that you be there before he arrives."  
  
Legolas groaned. He gave the elf no response, but pushed his door open and sprinted down the staircase. He navigated his way through the halls, just barely avoiding the walls. He could have done it with his eyes closed, he had run through these halls so many times.  
  
It was a game when he was little. He would wait as long as possibly to appear at dinner. He wanted to see just how far he could push his father. . . but that had been when his mother was alive.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~Flashback~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
~He skidded to a halt just outside the doors to the dining hall, then entered with a great amount of dignity for one of his age. All eyes turned to him.  
  
'Oh no,' he thought, 'I'm a bit too late.'  
  
He glanced at the head table. The seat next to his father remained empty. It gave Legolas hope that maybe his mother would return, though it had been so long and he knew that dream was folly. He was, in a human's terms, the equivalent of 16; he should not hold on to such childish dreams. He caught his father's glare. There was dangerous anger behind the royal eyes.  
  
Mithfalas too had seen that mad look, and was trying fruitlessly to stifle his laughter because of it.~  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~End Flashback~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Legolas shivered at the memory. The doors were just in sight. He could hear his father's voice, and could just see him turning the corner opposite of Legolas. He caught his son's eyes, and smiled. 'Go,' he mouthed.  
  
Legolas almost laughed, dodging into the dining hall just before the guests could see him.  
  
Thranduil and his guests entered only seconds after the prince, who was now siting neatly at the table. He rose gracefully as three men entered the room behind his father.  
  
"Haron, Merithol, Dinivul, this is my son, Legolas, the crown prince of Mirkwood."  
  
Legolas bowed in respect. "My lords."  
  
"Please," Thranduil said, "be seated."  
  
Legolas sat back down, remaining on his father's right.  
  
One of the men leaned towards the head of the table. "I was under the impression you had more children."  
  
Thranduil shot a warning glare at Legolas, then responded to his guest. "Nay, Legolas is my only child."  
  
The prince would not meet his father's eyes. True, Mithfalas had gone against his father's word, but it was not the act of treason Thranduil had passed it off as. A pang of guilt stabbed at him. It never would have happened it hadn't been for him.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~Flashback~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
~ "You will never, I repeat, never be late to dinner again, am I understood?"  
  
Legolas nodded at his father's booming voice. He was trembling, waiting for his father's next strike of anger. Already the king had brought blood to Legolas' face, but he was angry and there was no reasoning with him now.  
  
He shoved Legolas against the wall. The prince stifled a grunt of pain.  
  
"What were you thinking?" His son said nothing. "ANSWER ME!"  
  
"Are you so threatened by me that you have to resort to this?" His brashness was rewarded with a blow to his stomach the brought him to his knees. He fell forward, using one hand to brace himself. The king prepared himself for another strike, but Legolas fell back against the wall, halfway to unconsciousness.  
  
The door flung open. Both heads turned to see who was there.  
  
"Legolas?" The crown prince of Mirkwood started forward, seeing his brother so badly beaten.  
  
"Mithfalas, this does not concern you, leave now!"  
  
The prince looked at his father, as if noticing him for the first time.~  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~End Flashback~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Are you sure, Thranduil? I would have bet money that you had at least one more son."  
  
The king sighed. "I did, once."  
  
'Men,' Legolas thought, 'do not know when to quit.' He sighed. 'Nor do children.'  
  
"What happened to him then? Dead, is he?"  
  
"Dead only to his people."  
  
"I don't understand, my lord."  
  
Thranduil was quiet. Legolas looked at the man who was pressing his father for questions. An unnatural shiver ran down his spine; there was something about the man he didn't like.  
  
'No,' he told himself. 'There is something about every man that you don't like. Even Aragorn.' He sighed as he admitted the last statement to himself.  
  
"My lord?"  
  
Legolas had not realized it, but his father had remained quiet.  
  
"It was an act of treason that he was exiled for. It is not something I wish to discuss further."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~Flashback~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
~ "Mithfalas! I said, stay back!" The king roared.  
  
"Heca, Ada," the crown prince was so full of rage that he could only speak in his native tongue. He pushed past his father and knelt by Legolas. Thranduil started forward.  
  
"Stop, Father! Do not come near him!"  
  
The king ignored his son. The prince started to rise, but Legolas laid a hand on his arm.  
  
"Fal, don't. Hold you peace."  
  
"It's too late for that, Legolas." At once, Mithfalas was up and ready to fight his own father.  
  
In mere seconds, the scruple was over. Thranduil's face was barely an inch from his son's. He pressed the boy against the wall. "I will not have you interfere with my business."  
  
Calmly, his son responded. "As his brother, and my promise to our mother, it is my duty to protect him, and if I have to protect him from his own father, then so be it."  
  
Thranduil faltered. He would not hit his oldest, for the boy would fight back. However, his thought caused him hesitation. Why was he harming his own children? Especially Legolas, who had never done anything wrong in his life, except show up late to dinner every so often?  
  
"I know that she's gone. We're all having a hard time with it. That is no reason to take it out on him! Do not make him carry your sorrow as well as his own."  
  
Thranduil could think of nothing to say. He released his son. "You may stay, but he must be in this room when I return, and you will not breathe a word of this to anyone."  
  
He turned and fled the room.  
  
Mithfalas dropped to his brother's side, holding his chin, looking at his wounds. "Why do you never fight back, Legolas?"  
  
"He's my father. I am not going to fight him."  
  
Putting an arm behind Legolas' back to help him up, he muttered, "I just wish Father had that much honor in him."  
  
"But he does, Fal!"  
  
"Legolas, don't. Do not do this, I do not want to hear you defend him. He would have killed you if I hadn't come in." ~  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~End Flashback~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Well, the hour is late. We shall talk of business in the morning. Thank you for your hospitality."  
  
The five people at the table rose, and nodded to each other. The men exited. The silence only lasted a minute.  
  
"He didn't commit treason, Father."  
  
"I don't want to hear this again, Legolas. He defied me, and any servant of mine that acts as such would have been punished. Why is he any different?"  
  
"May I be excused?"  
  
"Leave."  
  
Legolas closed the door behind him, and turned to go to his room.  
  
"Legolas?"  
  
The prince shivered slightly, a reaction that was so often overlooked by Aragorn, but not overlooked by the man in front of him. He smiled a little.  
  
"You seem upset, young prince." He put a hand on Legolas' shoulder, and the prince had to fight not to pull away. "My name is Merithol. I am the leader of my people."  
  
Still the prince said nothing.  
  
"I do hope our plans turn out well."  
  
"What are your plans?"  
  
"Why, to," the man paused, as if doing some quick thinking. "To alley with Mirkwood."  
  
"Is that truly your intention?"  
  
A sinister smile grew on the man's face. "Of course."  
  
Legolas had imagined the smile. Of course he had. He didn't trust men; he would expect the worst of them. "If you'll excuse me, I wish to retire for the night."  
  
"Of course." There was that damned imagined smile again. Legolas' unease grew. "However, I am awfully curious about your brother. You seem to have a different story than your father."  
  
"It is not your place to question my father. You are his guest, nothing more. You would do well to remember that."  
  
"I am appalled at this treatment. What would your father say if he knew?"  
  
"He would trust the reasoning of his own son."  
  
The man actually laughed. "Only because you have the need to please him."  
  
Legolas' eyes narrowed slightly. "And what would you know of it?"  
  
"Your eyes betray you."  
  
"Where did you say you from again?"  
  
"Oh, I am terribly sorry. You wanted to get rest. Forgive me for my impudence." He turned on his heel and left the prince alone. He sighed.  
  
"Why must it always be me?" He muttered aloud to himself. He turned to his room, but stopped after a pace and headed for Aragorn's.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~  
  
Aragorn jumped at the light knocking. He half wanted to ask 'Who is it,' but the rudeness of the question stopped him. What it Legolas' father was the one knocking? How awfully rude it would be to ask that question, as if he would consider giving the elf permission to enter. Imagine, telling an elf lord he had permission to speak to you? 'Come in,' was the next phrase that came to mind. That too would be an awful thing to do. Was the king not good enough to have a door opened for him?  
  
By now, another knock came. Aragorn abandoned his thoughts, getting up to open the door.  
  
"Legolas!"  
  
"Did I wake you?" The prince asked softly.  
  
"No, I thought you were your father."  
  
Legolas raised a bemused eyebrow. "So you were just, not going to let him in?"  
  
Aragorn cringed. "I. no, I was going to. but, deciding on how was another story completely."  
  
Legolas shook his head. "Did Minastir treat you well?"  
  
"Indeed. You would have thought I was royalty."  
  
"You are, Strider."  
  
Aragorn rolled his eyes. "They don't know that."  
  
"I know. All of our guests are treated as such." He thought of how rude he was to the man in the hallway. oh, what was his name? If the man really did tell Thranduil, Legolas would be in a heap of trouble. What was he to do though? It was either be rude, or deny his father's words of Mithfalas.  
  
"Legolas? Are you all right?"  
  
The elf nodded once. "I may be in for a rough morning, though." He paused. "Come to breakfast with me. I need your opinion on the men that are here."  
  
Aragorn said nothing, but regarded his friend with curious eyes.  
  
"There are three of them, but I do not trust them."  
  
Aragorn nodded, with a knowing look.  
  
"I know, I know. I don't trust anyone. That is why I need your opinion."  
  
"All right, I'll come." Was now the time to ask? Elrond had told him that Legolas would recount his story when he was ready, but it had been eight years, and Aragorn was growing ever more curious, the closer he became to his friend. "Are you ready to talk to me?"  
  
Legolas sighed, casting his eyes downward. "No, not just yet."  
  
"Okay. I have something to tell you, though."  
  
Legolas lifted his eyes. "Yes?"  
  
"When I said that Arwen never mentioned you. well. it's not true. I've never actually met her. I just really didn't like you at the time, even after we had that truce, you know, and-"  
  
"It's all right. I understand."  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
"There is nothing to be sorry for."  
  
"Haven't I heard that before?"  
  
"Hey, you'll owe me one of those someday."  
  
Aragorn chuckled. "I'll remember that."  
  
"I'm going now. I must get rest before dealing with my father again. Sleep well, human. Tomorrow shall be a long day."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~  
  
Reviewers:  
  
Elizabeth Black: Lol, okay. Will do.  
  
F h c: That's cool, I like the name. Lol, and thanks!  
  
Angel With No Wings: Haha, little duckies. That's cute, I can just see it. Rivendell, beware! Mmm, yeah, he's breathtaking anytime, but especially when he's angry, (at least in my fanfiction.) And no, Mithfalas has not appeared in any story yet. Thanks!  
  
Brooklyn: Thank you! ! !  
  
Halandleg4ever: Lol, wow, I am SO surprised! (Sorry, couldn't resist.)  
  
Moro the Wolf God: I'm trying! I promise, I'm going as quick as I can!  
  
Bec: Haha, very funny. Actually, the sad part is, it's true. Where are my cliffies? Three chapters in and I still don't have one. (Hey, the last one was a cliffie every chapter, I felt bad.) Haha, yes, the rest of the story will definitely make up for it, mwahahaha! You're supposed to be confused about Mithfalas. He's a new character, and we'll be learning a LOT about him pretty soon. Well, a lot more, this chapter wasn't the end of it, And yes, you were right! Good job! Nope, makes perfect sense. Are you kidding? I love your reviews! PS. What happened to Sara?  
  
Gwyn: No, it happens. Well, it did in The Mummy, lol, and of course THAT'S real. No, if you knew everything it'd be NO fun. Lol, thanks!  
  
Lulu Bell: Ah, you need to make it back and play. I'd cry if I couldn't play in a v-ball game. Last year, I sprained my ankle right before our biggest game. Ah, I was so mad. Anyway, lol. Yeah, I like saying weird things. It keeps people on their toes. People just stare at me sometimes and you know they're wondering what I'm thinking. Anyway, lol, thanks for the review! Yes, as you can see, or have hopefully figured out, Mithfalas is his brother. Lol, the Christmas thing sounds cool. What all did you do?  
  
Sky: Yup, one of THOSE people. I know, bizarre, two chapters in and there's no clear plotline yet. Third chapter in and there's only a vague sense of one. I'm changing, sheesh, lol. Hey, was it you that asked for the flashback a couple stories ago? I can't be positive, but I think it was you. Anyway, there are a bunch of f/b's in this one! If it wasn't you, you can just ignore that, lol.  
  
Lomiothiel: Mithfalas, the elf they are talking about, is, well, you saw. And you'll see why he has such an influence on Leggy too. Just keep reading. I don't purposefully try to confuse you guys. Arwen and Legolas broke up because A. I couldn't break canon by not having Aragorn and Arwen get together, and B. They decided they were better off as friends and a marriage would just destroy their relationship. Sorry if that was confusing! Thanks!  
  
Deana: Hey, a suffering Legolas is always good! Can't go wrong there, lol! Yeah, they'll be a ton of angst in this one. The last three were baby stuff compared to this. ::evil smile::  
  
Das Blume: And you know, I hadn't actually planned it that way, it just ended up being longer, lol. And jeez, was this long enough for you? Dude, it's 11 pages in Word. Holy monkeys, in compensation for what I dunno, but your review was really long! Wow! Yay! Haha, can't you just see Elrond reading book five? "What? They can't kill him! He was my favorite!" Lol. I was wondering, what would a fantasy story in ME be like? Would it be like, set in modern day New York, or something? Ah, mind boggling. Haha. "I'll watch from a distance and make sure no sharp objects come near you and no one chokes on a crayon or anything else." Nope, you've never read about Mithfalas before. We'll be learning a lot more of him, as we learn about Leggy's past. Mithfalas has a lot to do with Leggy's past. (As you just read. Sorry, I have a habit of replying BEFORE I type in the chapter, so I'm never quite sure what I will be covering, lol.) Uhm, you're half right. He WAS a very close person in Leggy's family. I never expect anyone to read my replies to other reviewers. I'm always surprised when they do. Thanks for that really long review! I loved it! Ah, I love when people start guessing about what's gonna happen, or who so and so is. . . ::big smiles:: Thanks for the luck, and yay for you! ! No classes! Lucky.  
  
Bill the Pony: Ah, thanks! I appreciate that!  
  
Luthien: No worries, I've been reading it! I've been leaving reviews too, lol.  
  
Nikki: Yup, he's governor. Ha, don't worry, I haven't introduced Mithfalas before this. He's supposed to be confusing. (Well, hopefully a little less after this story.) Thanks!  
  
SPEoD: Lol, it's okay. No sugar! Lol, seriously, there is no way I'm gonna quit riding, you can get every doctor in the world to tell me I should and I wouldn't care. Lol, it was hard trying to write Legolas and Elrond fighting, because Legolas sees Elrond as a superior and wouldn't want to get in too much trouble if his father ever found out. Have fun at the show!  
  
Fire Eagle: Lol, ah, thanks!  
  
Leggylover: Lol, no worries, Aragorn will get his fair share of hurts in this! 


	4. Father, Son, and Breakfast

Phew, I was scared I was going to take a beating (no pun intended,) for that last chapter. I was literally cringing when I was reading my reviews! Thanks for not killing me, hopefully this chapter will redeem Thranduil in your eyes, and yes, I SWEAR this is a good Thranduil fic. Good. As in, he's a good father, he's just made some mistakes, and that was the ONLY time he will ever touch his son, okay? I promise. Phew, now that I'm still alive, on with the story.  
  
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Legolas turned over in his sleep. He whimpered, almost, seeing hundreds of their faces before him. He saw the malice on their faces as they dangled Arwen's fate before him. He could not fight them for that reason alone.  
  
Wasn't it supposed to be that you could not feel pain in your dreams? But perhaps you could in your nightmares. It was happening all over again, and had almost every night since then. . .  
  
More hands were laid on him, shaking him. He pulled away at first, but he was brought back to consciousness by the hands.  
  
"Shh, Legolas. Shhh, onya. . . lasto beth nin, onya."  
  
Legolas shivered, shying away from something in his dream. "Ada," he whispered in his sleep.  
  
"I'm here. It's okay now, it's over." He cradled his son in his arms, whispering elvish to the boy until he calmed and fell into a more peaceful sleep. He stayed for a while, assuring himself that his son was all right, then began to head for his own quarters.  
  
He was in the doorway when Legolas spoke. "I'm so sorry."  
  
He turned to make sure Legolas was really awake. He was. "What are you sorry for, onya?"  
  
"I was weak."  
  
His son had spoken to him with such fear and shame in his voice that it broke the king's heart. He pulled Legolas back into his arms. "No, no, no my boy. You have nothing to be sorry for. All those years ago when I said what I did. . .about how a true warrior acts. . . I only said it so that you would not leave me. I did not mean to be so cruel. I could not have survived if you too were ripped away from me. First, your mother, then Mithfalas. . . I could not bear to lose you too." He paused.  
  
Legolas was biting his lip to hold back tears. He would not be any weaker in front of his father.  
  
"You have held on to this pain for so long Legolas. You need to let go of it. You need to let people in. Let them see you again, Legolas. You must cast away the anguish you've been holding for so long. Today I set your heart free."  
  
He couldn't do it anymore. He let his tears flow, trembling in his father's arms.  
  
Legolas was a little boy again, seeking his father's comfort. Thranduil kissed his son's head. "It's all going to be fine. I promise you."  
  
The king paused again. All that his son was, all that was in his son, the warrior, the innocence, the adult, the child, all cried out to be held. They cried out to be loved and forgiven. "I've missed you, Legolas. I have missed how you used to be, and I know that's my fault. I am sorry for that, too, and I will never forgive myself for it. But you, my son, my only dream in this world is that you might forgive me."  
  
The man in the shadows watching could not bring himself to destroy the moment. Something about it moved him. His plan could wait.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~  
  
Aragorn groaned. Some bird or something was incessantly hammering outside his window. Why wouldn't it stop?  
  
He rolled over, pulling a pillow over his head.  
  
"Strider!"  
  
He groaned again. Legolas was the bird. And it was outside his door. "I'm awake. Come in."  
  
"You've severely overslept. Breakfast begins in five minutes. If I'm not there-"  
  
"The sun isn't up, Legolas."  
  
The prince looked towards the window, as if just realizing the statement. "So?"  
  
"Why are you up before the sun? Wait, don't answer that. I forgot that you got up at unholy hours."  
  
"You have to dress quickly. I should already be there. Father will have my hide if I am late. . ."  
  
"Relax. I'll be ready in a second." He looked at his friend, who was rubbing a hand over his face. "Rough night?"  
  
"It's about to get worse."  
  
Aragorn laughed. "Calm down and tell me what happened last night."  
  
"I had an unfortunate run-in with one of the men that is visiting. I fear his intentions are evil. Then I could not sleep." He thought of his father's conversation with him. "I finally fell back asleep, and Aldarion comes and wakes me up. Whatever for, in the dead of night? Telemnar went and got himself locked out of the castle walls, and who is the only person capable of opening them at night? Me. Oh, my father could do it, but no, the servants are too scared to approach my father."  
  
Aragorn chuckled. "Could you blame them?"  
  
Legolas sighed. "And now, I have to deal with my father's wrath for some rude exchanges last night."  
  
"With your father?"  
  
"No, I've learned better than that. Are you ready yet? I do not want to add this to my list of misfortunes."  
  
"Yeah, yeah, I'm here," Aragorn said, stumbling out of his bathroom. "Let's go."  
  
"I met with. . . with. . . oh for the sake of the Valar, I am surely dead if I cannot even remember his name!"  
  
"Merithol."  
  
Legolas spun around before the word had been said, Aragorn followed as soon as he heard it.  
  
"I would have thought you would be in my father's presence by now."  
  
"I could say the same of you, your highness."  
  
"I am the prince, I have free reign over the castle. A guest has no such rights."  
  
"Tsk, tsk. How ashamed your father would be." The man smiled. "I'll see you at breakfast."  
  
There was silence between the two friends. Then Aragorn spoke. "You need to learn to hold your tongue."  
  
"Oh the number of times I have heard that! You are just like the rest of your family."  
  
"Is that a compliment?"  
  
"Sometimes. Okay, quiet. Here we are. Do not speak unless spoken to. In my father's eyes, children are to be seen, not heard, and you are a child to him."  
  
Aragorn sighed, but remained quiet as the two entered the great hall. Thranduil turned a raised eyebrow upon his son, then a glance of dislike towards Aragorn.  
  
Legolas bowed his head "Father, guests, may I introduce Estel of Imaldres."  
  
"A pleasure," Thranduil said. "Please be seated. I am afraid the first of breakfast was just served."  
  
Legolas sat on his father's right. "We will wait for the next course." He leaned into his father. "I am sorry for the delay."  
  
"I do hope you have a good reason."  
  
"I do. I have many things to tell you, in private." He sat up straight once more, regarding the men across from him.  
  
Aragorn too was studying them. They were from Gondor, he concluded in a matter of seconds. Their style of dress was so perfectly Gondorian.  
  
"Lord Thranduil, I do believe that if we should unite our kingdoms, there would be far less war."  
  
"War," Legolas said, "is not a problem for Mirkwood."  
  
Merithol turned an icy glare on him. Was he imagining it? Legolas stole a glance at Aragorn, but saw nothing in his face. "Then, if nothing else, we can help each other. We need a name such as Mirkwood to associate ourselves with, so that our wars will not continue so."  
  
Aragorn furrowed his brow. Gondor was a name that stood on its own; it did not need Mirkwood to back it up.  
  
"And what, if you don't mind my asking, would you do for us?"  
  
Thranduil glanced at his son, a hint of a warning in his eyes that went unnoticed by Legolas.  
  
"We can help hinder the evil that lurks in your forest. We can fight the spiders, we can push the evil back, as best as we can."  
  
Thranduil finally cut in. "Do you think that we have not been trying to put a stop to it?"  
  
"Of course I didn't mean that, my lord. Perhaps if you had more people to do it, though?"  
  
Legolas at back. "We are accomplishing that ourselves. Albeit slowly, but surely nonetheless."  
  
Thranduil turned his gaze to the window at the far end of the room. Fear spoke in his heart that the horror of Mordor was not conquered forever; it would rise again. A greater fear pulled forward, one that the Lady of the Golden Wood had given him. Mordor would rise again, and take his son with it. He took a quick breath, and turned his attention back to Merithol.  
  
The man seemed to be at a loss for words. The man name Dinivul cut in. "What harm would there be, my lords, with this simple alliance?"  
  
Thranduil sighed. "Where are you from? I don't believe I caught it."  
  
"We are from Evandael."  
  
Aragorn choked on the water he had just swallowed. The table turned to look at him quizzically. Thranduil's gaze was one of deep dislike, Merithol raised a dangerous eyebrow. The other two men, Dinivul and Haron, were suddenly interested in their feet. Legolas knew. He looked at Aragorn, and the man could see fear behind the elf's eyes.  
  
"I'm. . . sorry," Aragorn stuttered purposefully. "I must have swallowed the wrong way. I. . . I didn't mean to interrupt." He had an idea. He coughed again. "May I use a restroom?"  
  
Thranduil nodded his head absently.  
  
Legolas caught on right away. "I will show you where it is." He rose, then bowed his head. "If you will excuse me." Leaning into his father, he whispered, "Don't make any decisions yet."  
  
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Reviewers: Again, I say thanks for not killing me. When you read bathroom, please don't think of it as a modern day one, but I'm sure they had something. (The word just seemed out of place for ME. Thought I would specify.)  
  
Gwyn: I know, I know, I know. I love Thranduil the best too! He was good in this chapter, yeah? And he's still got a lot more parts to play in his son's life, and they're good parts. ::Big smiles:: We don't hate me yet, do we?  
  
Daw the Minstrel: Yes, the mix is not the best. Also, I believe that Legolas had a lot of his father's personality in him. He could be hot tempered at times, (just not to the same degree.) I'm sorry I crossed the line, but that is the first and LAST time Thranduil will lay a hand on his son. Plus, he spends the rest of my series making up for it, savvy? I promise, swear on the Bible, (or whatever holy book you prefer,) that he is a good father and will show that from now on, okay? (Mind you, that doesn't mean that he becomes any less tempered or that Legolas becomes any less independent, Thranduil just deals with it in a better way.)  
  
Fire Eagle: Merithol is a fun character. ::winks::  
  
Dimostiel: Are you trying to tell me that my story is boring so far? Thanks, I love you too. (I'm just kidding, lol.) Yes, something interesting is about to happen. Good radar! Ooooh, yeah, I love Mithfalas. He is awesome! (Well, depending on whose memories of him you're looking at, lol.)  
  
Das Blume: Wow, that was one LONG review. I love it! Haha, Aragorn didn't learn that rule until *later.* You gotta give him points for creativity, though. Thranduil's being explained. Legolas and Haldir signed the letter too. They were all mad at her. (Ha, they can join the club.) I can't believe JK did that! Nah, I don't care if you spoil the plot, 'cuz I'll never out and out tell you it's right. You still have to read to find out. Seriously, start the bet poll, I'd love to see updates from it every so often, lol. Man, your reviews already ARE stories, but that's why I luv 'em!  
  
Bill the Pony: Yay, someone who's not mad at me! Lol, hannon le!  
  
Lomiothiel: You'll see, the humans are still around. Mithfalas will be explained, and Thranduil will never beat Legolas again, okay? Lol, see ya next chapter!  
  
Lizzie: Well, from the Hobbit we can tell that he doesn't like other races, especially dwarves, (then, what elf with the exception of like, two, likes the race of dwarves?) So we know that he wouldn't be very welcoming towards Aragorn. Also, the whole thing with his firstborn son, Mithfalas. . . ahh, I'll get into that more later. Let's just say that he was so deeply in love with Legolas' mother, that her departure turned things upside down for the family. Is that any clearer? Plus, in the books, Legolas never refers to himself as a prince. Instead, he refers to himself as just a common Mirkwood elf. That could have some reasoning behind it too, which you'll see in a later story. Was that thoroughly confusing?  
  
Leggylover: No worries, there is a lot of angst awaiting Legolas and Aragorn. Mwahahah! Lol, thanks for the review! Aragorn will get his owies soon! Get the Band-Aids ready!  
  
Angel With No Wings: Lol, I was seriously worried about your review, what you were gonna say about my abusive fatherness. . . phew! Hmm, should the three men be worthy of your suspicion? Maybe they have nothing to do with my angst this time around, lol. I love angst too.  
  
F h c: lol, yeah, you could say that. And he *has* a brother. Mithfalas didn't die, (well, if he did and they got a letter from him that'd be kinda gross.) He's just dead to his people, so yeah, I guess he's dead to Legolas too.  
  
Sky: See! I have a good memory. (Hahaha!) No, he was exiled for going against his FATHER. But there's still more to be explained there. Wow, that was a very detailed guess, too. And let's say that Mithfalas won't be a pawn for Legolas, persay. And. . . you're close with the lady's realm, but a bit prematurely. And that's all I'm gonna say. (Confused? Lol.)  
  
Sara: Lol, welcome back! I missed you! Uhm, well, notice that Legolas didn't try to add anything to Estel's story until Elrond asked him. Ooh, I was hoping no one would ask that. Uhm, I can't promise that he'll be in it (since he is exiled and all,) but he does play a major indirect role in this story. Lol, I'll update, but you have to keep reviewing, savvy? Thanks for the review!  
  
Aislynn Crowdaughter: Yes, I know. (I'm actually pretty sure you aren't reading anymore, but I'll give this a shot anyway.) First of all, please don't apologize. I appreciate your review. I know I'm out of canon with that whole scene, but I have a reason for it. (I know, you think it's pointless.) I have read the Hobbit, and some other things on Thranduil that were later added to Unfinished Tales by Tolkien. I did my research, and if you recall, I've made references to how good of a king he is. Also, they were things in the Hobbit which hint at a hot temper. My view of Thranduil is that he is a great king, and a good father. He made one mistake. (Well, two, if you count the fact that he exiled his other OC son.) It's not something he's proud of or does regularly, as a matter of fact, he never lays another hand on Legolas forever. The point behind that was to introduce Mithfalas. No, I agree with you, I don't think that Thranduil would ever do that, but that's why we're fanfiction writers. Thank you so much for your review!  
  
Bec: Lol, thank you. Sheesh, I wish I had a problem with doing my hw before I got on to FF.net. It's late, and I haven't even touched any of the work I have to turn in tomorrow. Haha, yeah, you're just going to have to wait. (Don't you love that answer?) I had so much fun writing Aragorn's retelling of their day. I was like, okay, a little kid is cornered. What would he do? Lol, thanks for the review! Much appreciated!  
  
Lulu Bell: That sounds cool. It sounds like our shoe-boxes for Christmas run. We go to a big warehouse and handle supplies and stuff. It's really neat. Lol, good luck in your last two games! I found out the other day that league games just started, so we're undefeated in league right now. It's pretty cool! Just two more games? We're only half way through. We still have another 10 games or so. (If we don't make playoffs, that is.) Have fun with them, and make sure you don't hurt yourself!! 


	5. Lean On Me

Chapter five. Thanks to everyone who hung in there with me after chapter three. It got better, didn't it?  
  
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"What is it, Aragorn? Tell me!" Legolas had turned on his friend as soon as they were out of earshot.  
  
"Legolas, shh, do not use that name here."  
  
"I'm sorry, Strider. Please tell me what you know."  
  
"Well, I don't know. It's interesting."  
  
Legolas raised his eyebrows. "So are you going to tell me, or do I have to guess?"  
  
Aragorn rolled his eyes. "They are not from Evandael, that is for certain. They are from Gondor."  
  
"How do you know?"  
  
"I'm a ranger, Legolas. I know how people from Gondor are. They dress a certain way, they act a certain way. They are from Gondor."  
  
Legolas nodded. "And why would the make up where they are from?"  
  
"Well, for one, Gondor needs no name to associate themselves with. Secondly, if they did, they certainly would not seek to do it with elves. They are angry about the last alliance."  
  
"What do you know about Evandael?"  
  
Aragorn shook his head, his voice dropping a tone. "It's a wicked town, Legolas. The men there are evil, and they torture all who come into it. Not too far from here, either."  
  
"But why would someone from Gondor lie about that?"  
  
Aragorn shrugged. "They could have been exiled. Evandael is where most exiles flee. Other than that, I have no answers. I'm sorry."  
  
"Stop apologizing. You've given me plenty of information. Thank you."  
  
Legolas sighed, frustrated. The new information he got from Strider made no sense. It did not fit into any plan he could devise himself.  
  
Maybe the answer was simple. Maybe they had been exiled from Gondor. It would explain the act and speech. But why would a town such as Evandael want to make good with elves?  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~  
  
Legolas cringed at the look his father was giving him. "Ada, I don't trust them." He had to break the silence.  
  
"I know you don't, and you do present a very strong case. But why, onya? That you have not yet told me."  
  
"I'm not sure of that. We know their intentions are not to form an alliance. Could they be plotting our destruction? Strider says that Evandael is a wicked town. Little known, but very deadly."  
  
"So near to us?"  
  
"Perhaps."  
  
Thranduil sighed. "We will send them away in the morning, Legolas. No alliance. . . nothing. Hopefully they will break all contact."  
  
Legolas nodded. "And if they don't?"  
  
"We don't need an ally, Legolas. We are managing Mirkwood just fine on our own, you and I. When I leave for the Undying Lands, I want to give you Mirkwood, not Mirkwood with a town of men attached. They still have not said clearly why they want an alliance. It is well, I believe you. I know you don't trust them, and I have my suspicions as well."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~  
  
Merithol pulled back into the shadows. Night had fallen, and he was discovered. He turned to his companions. "We rush our plans a bit. Haron, Dinivul, you will both go to that man's room, the young one. He is too closely linked with the prince. I will take the elf by myself. We will meet outside the gates before the king seals them for the night. Our men should be waiting for us. Go now, we have little time. Do not wait for me, I will meet you there."  
  
The two nodded, running off. Merithol smiled, preparing himself for what was to come.  
  
He waited until the prince had gone to bed. . . long after. He had a plan, and oh what a good plan it was.  
  
The only thing that he relied on now was that Dinivul and Haron had succeeded.  
  
He entered the prince's bedchambers.  
  
Legolas, for once, was sleeping deeply and peacefully. He did not become aware of the man's presence until it was too late.  
  
The prince woke with a start, feeling steel biting into his skin. He put his arms up in surrender, pushing against the blade to sit up.  
  
"Get up," the man growled. "We have to hurry."  
  
"Merithol," Legolas hissed.  
  
The blade bit closer to his throat. "You remembered my name."  
  
He pulled Legolas, who had fallen asleep in his day attire, out into the corridor. "Make so much as a noise and I will slit your throat." Legolas nodded. He mentally kicked himself for the situation he was in. Why was it ALWAYS when he was tired and unaware?  
  
"Open the gates," the man hissed.  
  
"No," Legolas said, a bit more defensively than he meant to.  
  
The blade pressed so close that is Legolas breathed too deeply, it would cut his skin. "Dinivul, are you out there?"  
  
"Yes sir, we're here."  
  
"Do you have him?"  
  
"Yes sir."  
  
He smiled. "Hear that, prince? They have your friend out there. Open the gates, or I will order to have him killed."  
  
It was happening all over again. He mumbled a few words in elvish, and the gates flew open.  
  
"That's better. Now close them."  
  
Legolas was now in the forest surrounding his home. He felt the presence of many men, and shuddered.  
  
"Scared? You should be. Close the gates."  
  
He said the words to close them, but not to seal them. If his father woke and found the gates unsealed, he would suspect something and search for his son.  
  
"Strider, are you all right?"  
  
"Didn't I tell you not to make a sound!" It wasn't a question- it was threat. Legolas looked to his friend, who shrugged apologetically in response.  
  
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An hour later, when they were far enough into the woods, Merithol stopped. "Now, I'm going to explain something to the both of you. Listen well, for your lives may very well depend on it." He paused, looking at the two captives standing before him.  
  
"From now on, you are our slaves. We are your masters."  
  
Nothing happened. Haron leaned forward. "It's customary for slaves to bow to their masters when being addressed."  
  
Aragorn sighed, but figured that now was not the time to be resistant. He dropped to the ground.  
  
Legolas did not look at Aragorn as he bowed. He held a steady gaze with Merithol. His whole body suggested defiance.  
  
Merithol shook his head. "Do you realize how easy it would be for me to just kill you and be done with it? I'm giving you a break! Take advantage of it."  
  
Still, the elf did not move. Haron and Dinivul started forward, but Merithol put out his hands to stop them. He was testing the elf, and in the same way, the elf was testing him. 'Keep pushing it,' he thought to himself. 'I'll push back when the time is right.'  
  
Legolas felt Aragorn grab his arm, and pull down. The elf finally complied, but did not lower his gaze.  
  
"Secondly," Merithol continued, ignoring the glare from Legolas. "I have a hundred of my men in the forest around you. Go ahead and try to escape. It'll be fun for them. Now get up, we have a lot of ground to cover in the next few days."  
  
Legolas rolled back on his heels as Aragorn rose. Defiance glowed in his eyes. "No."  
  
Merithol spun around. The elf had pushed him too far. "Excuse me?!"  
  
"I am not listening to you. I will do nothing you say. Kill me if you will."  
  
There was a very pregnant pause in which nothing happened.  
  
"I know you won't kill me. You need me alive for your plans."  
  
"Legolas," Aragorn hissed. "Now is not the time!"  
  
Dinivul came up behind the young ranger, holding a dagger to his throat.  
  
"Get up or we will kill him. We have no use for him."  
  
Legolas did not move. "If you kill him, then you have no way of controlling me."  
  
Merithol let out a frustrated breath. "If I had known you were going to be this difficult. Dinivul, do it."  
  
Legolas panicked. They wouldn't actually kill Aragorn, would they? Merithol smiled at the look on the elf's face.  
  
Aragorn was pushed to the ground, and Dinivul had taken a long leather strip from Haron. He raised it above his head and struck the ranger.  
  
Legolas winced.  
  
"We'll do it for as long as it takes, Legolas."  
  
The leather cracked a second time. By the third, Legolas was on his feet. "Stop it! Stop. I'm coming."  
  
Dinivul looked to his leader, who nodded once. The man brought the leather down once more.  
  
He was surprised when it did not hit his intended target. Legolas had seen it coming and covered his friend's body with his own. He held his breath as the leather hit him in a blinding flash of pain, then turned and grabbed it from Dinivul, unsheathing the man's sword at the same time.  
  
He swung the sword with expertise, effectively creating a circle around himself and the ranger, for men were appearing from the forest.  
  
Aragorn took a breath of composure. "Don't, Legolas. Not now."  
  
Merithol lazily pulled out his own sword. "You are only making it harder on yourself. You cannot win."  
  
"You have obviously never encountered an elf before."  
  
"I have. You forget the men that are with us." He gestured into the darkness of the trees.  
  
Aragorn laughed despite himself. "You've never encountered Legolas, then."  
  
"Stay out of this, unless you wish to make it hard for yourself as well." Merithol turned his attention back to Legolas. "Come fight me. I'm waiting."  
  
Legolas stepped forward, barely aware that two men had come up to hold Aragorn.  
  
Merithol made the first move. Legolas blocked it easily, and counterattacked. "You fight well," the man said. Legolas said nothing. The man smiled wickedly.  
  
Suddenly, Legolas was spinning full circles, fighting two dozen men.  
  
Aragorn shouted. "There are rules to combat, Merithol! You're not playing by them!"  
  
A sword hilt was brought down harshly. Legolas locked eyes with a struggling Aragorn before falling unconscious.  
  
"No!" Aragorn cried out, but the men held him back.  
  
"Bind his hands. Bind both their hands. Wake the elf up."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~  
  
Legolas woke slowly, against his will. He had a terrible headache, and his body hurt. He couldn't remember why.  
  
"He's waking, sir."  
  
Even the voice was harsh to his ears.  
  
Legolas was vaguely aware of his body being jerked forward. He focused his eyes on the man before him. Memory came rushing back, and with it, a flood of pain.  
  
"Do not try that again."  
  
Legolas wanted to retort, but could form no words in his mind.  
  
"Get up."  
  
If the prince had wanted to comply, his own body would not allow him. There were a few minutes of silence.  
  
"I will not carry you. The drug wasn't that strong. Get up."  
  
'Drug?' Legolas thought to himself. He did not have the energy to try and figure it out.  
  
He was pulled to his feet, then left alone.  
  
"Come Legolas," a voice whispered. "You can lean on me for support."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~  
  
Leggylover: Well, he doesn't know Estel yet. And the owies are on the way! (This chapter was kinda owie, but not really, huh?)  
  
Angel With No Wings: Lol, I just wasn't sure how you were gonna react to that last chapter. Lol, not to point or name names, but I hate when people wait forever to update, cough cough. Lol, j/k. Uhm, hm, I guess you had reason to be suspicious, huh?  
  
SPEoD: Lol, it's okay, calm down, I forgive ya! Wow, uhm, Aragorn's choking was just hearing what the men said, because he wasn't expecting that answer. This story is really long, comparatively. I can't say for sure, but it should be somewhere around 12 chapters. Thanks for da review!  
  
Lulu Bell: Thanks for the compliments. I have at least four or five more stories after this one, so no worries. And yeah, they're evil, lol. When has a human, other than Estel, ever been good to Leggy? Uh, it doesn't technically get cold here, only to the natives. Like, 70 is freezing to us. Then again, it gets really really cold at night. And yes, we play inside. What's a bye?  
  
HalandLeg4ever: Then you must have really hated my last story. Every frickin' chapter was a cliffie. Heck, I hated it. Anyway, yeah. . . Estel is all knowing like that ::wink::  
  
Luthien: First time I've been threatened with fireballs. Does that count as a death threat? I'll say yes. That makes my fourth death threat, lol.  
  
Lomiothiel: Doesn't Leggy always feel like men bring evil? It's kind of been drilled into him, hasn't it, by past experiences? Haha, what's really funny is that I wrote this chapter, where Merithol wakes him up in the middle of the night, before I read your review. And there's a story down the line where he gets woken up in the middle of the night too, lol. So yeah, I guess he does. . . hadn't noticed before though!  
  
Dimostiel: That cover up was slightly better than the one he tried about the cave when they returned from their trip, at least, lol. What other words are there for restroom that don't sound out of place? Oh well. Well there, are you happy? There's some action for you in this chapter. (It needed a set up though!)  
  
Sky: Thank you. No, I haven't read them yet, and I am so sorry. They're in my list of things to do, seriously, I just have not had the time yet. Maybe this weekend. I can't wait to read them though! Please forgive my slowness!  
  
Bill the Pony: Ah, thanks! I hope this was soon enough!  
  
Lyn: You're right. I think that's the first time I've screwed a word up like that. What was I thinking of? There's a word for a brawl or a quarrel that starts with s, isn't there? Or maybe I just confused that one with meaning something else. Very nice, you're the only person that caught that. Never mind, you just answered that question. Scuffle. (Maybe I should read the whole review before I start my reply.) See, ally I knew. I think that was just a typo. My beta missed that one too. Scuffle. I can't believe I did that. Thank you so much for pointing that out! Greatly appreciated!  
  
F h c: That sounds like something from the X-Files. "Trust no one." I can see Legolas saying that to Estel, lol.  
  
Das Blume: I love how the actual review was in the three lines of P.S., lol. Yes, I am really happy you didn't kill me! Haha, "Kodak moment. . ." Oh jeez. He's got a poster of Oliver Wood Quidditch Captain up too. (I like him too, lol.) Well, my elvish to human ratio it 100:1 years. So when Legolas hit 100, it was like a human's first birthday. (I figured this out from movie verse.) So now that he's, 3,000 years old, he's the equivalent of 30. Aragorn IS thirty. So while Thranduil should view them as being equal, his prejudices make him view Aragorn as young. Not, baby young, but still. Did that make sense? No, it was just, "They never served the good wine to humans again. It suddenly wasn't as good when you were wearing it." Lo,, thanks for that very funny review. I was cracking up!  
  
Bec: Lol, yeah, can you imagine what Thranduil must be thinking while he's choking at the table? Poor guy. No, it's cool, have fun house sitting ::wink:: I don't have a problem eating breakfast that early, but he would never be able to get me out of bed, lol!  
  
Anolinde: Lol, thanks. I like the sarcasm between them too. Lol, haha, your reviews are hilarious. Can't you just see Elrond groaning at the thought of MORE orcs and his sons, in the same sentence? Nope, haven't written about Fal (Mithfalas) yet. ::smiles:: Yay! You caught on! Lol! Seriously, I love your reviews.  
  
Nenya: Lol, uhm. . . the book hadn't originally been anything more than something he enjoyed, but that was originally. The second draft came out somewhat differently, but that's all I'm going to say. (I usually end up giving too much away when people ask questions. I just can't say no, lol.) Yes, there will a lot more of Mithfalas, not only in this story, but in stories still in the works. This will definitely not be the last in the series, I have one more already written after this, and several more in the process of being written. Yeah, I was trying to prove that Thranduil wasn't a bad guy, he just made ONE mistake, so that scene was actually quite crucial. I'm glad you liked it. Also, just because I'm feeling generous, something that Elrond said about Mithfalas in passing turns out to be very crucial later on, a few stories down the line. ::wink:: Thank you so much for the review! 


	6. Keep Your Head Down

Hey all, happy the action has finally started? I guess now you can start looking forward to the cliffhangers again. . . ::evil smile:: I know this one's short, but I'll make up for it.  
  
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Legolas had no recollection of the next three days. He woke up, on a cold, hard floor, in a very unfamiliar place with very unfamiliar people. Except one.  
  
"Strider. . .?"  
  
The ranger started. Legolas had not stirred in nearly a week. He put his hand on Legolas' chest. "I'm here."  
  
The prince groaned lightly. "Where is here?"  
  
"Evandael. How do you feel?"  
  
"Like a regurgitated cave troll meal."  
  
Aragorn laughed. "Well, I can see you have not lost your sense of sarcasm." He was ignoring the curious looks from those around him. "We are in the slave's dungeon, Legolas."  
  
The prince slowly sat up, aided by his friend. He had not yet noticed the mass number of people. "How long have I been asleep?"  
  
"Well. . . about ten days."  
  
"Ten days?" He groaned again. Before he could say anything else, the door was thrown open.  
  
"Kaenji, the mines. Now."  
  
Legolas looked at the man who had spoken, wondering where he got off ordering the other young man around. The man turned and looked at Aragorn and Legolas.  
  
"Good," an evil, familiar voice sneered. "You're awake. Get up."  
  
Legolas did not move, still trying to fully understand what was happening.  
  
"Sir, he only just woke up. His body is hungry and dehydrated. He cannot work today."  
  
"He can and he will." He turned back to the elf prince. "Now get up."  
  
Aragorn was about to protest again for his friend, but Legolas shook his head. Now fully aware of his surroundings, and slightly embarrassed, the elf rose. He did not need to be defiant today; his body would hate him for it.  
  
"Kaenji, take him with you, and teach him our ways." A man stood at the other end of the room, and nodded slightly.  
  
'No, I'm not ready for this, no, please no. . .' But Legolas walked forward in the man's wake. He was too groggy to try and fight this. The two slaves and Merithol left the room.  
  
Aragorn sighed. A new friend leaned over. "I'm sure he'll be fine. Kaenji works where they are very little overseers."  
  
"I hope so, Berin. I hope so." Aragorn did not relax. He worried for his friend. He did not know how much of the drug was still in his system. He did know that the overseers here were cruel and brutal, and he did know that Legolas would not be able to handle their abuse. He would surely receive it, too, for he would be defiant. He was also the only elf in the entire town. He said a quiet prayer to the Valar.  
  
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Kaenji, a young, tall, and lithe man looked at Legolas. He took note of the pointy ears. "We haven't seen any of your kind here before. As slaves, that is."  
  
"I won't be a slave for long." Legolas kept his eyes on the ground.  
  
The man wanted to tell the elf that everyone said that when they arrived, and none lived up to that goal, but he would not pull the elf's hopes down. "What's your story?"  
  
"I don't have a story."  
  
"Everyone here has a story. Jeralin married my mother. That was when I was 10. He killed her, and I've been here ever since. So, where're you from?"  
  
"Mirkwood."  
  
"Ah, I heard about you. You're the prince."  
  
Legolas nodded. "How do you do this?"  
  
"Do what?"  
  
"Take orders all the time, swallow your pride and live like you're nothing?"  
  
Kaenji looked Legolas in the eye. "In this place, there are a lot of people like me we have killed their emotions. Remember that."  
  
"You two!" A sharp voice interrupted their conversation. "What are you doing?"  
  
Legolas sighed as Kaenji replied, "We're leaving for the mines, sir."  
  
"Very well then, move along."  
  
Legolas shuddered as he felt the man's eyes linger upon him.  
  
"See?" he whispered. "Keep your head down, say 'sir' a lot, and you'll do fine."  
  
Legolas shook his head. "I can't do this. I can't handle this. I would rather die."  
  
Kaenji stopped, grabbing Legolas violently by the shoulders. "Do not talk as such or it will come to pass. You do not have a choice. There is no way out of here, and if there is, I can bet it's being guarded."  
  
He took in the panic of the elf's eyes, and softened his tone. "As long as you don't get your hopes up, you can take anything. You feel less pain, it makes it bearable."  
  
"Don't get my hopes up? And what are you living for?"  
  
The man sighed. "We've got nothing else to live for. . . our family. . . our homes. . . gone."  
  
Legolas dropped his gaze. "I'm sorry."  
  
"Just don't get your hopes up, kid."  
  
"You're story ends when you let go of hope. We must never give up hope."  
  
"Hope is a forsaken thought in this world. Your world is gone. 'Tis best to forget it before it lands you in a heap of trouble."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~  
  
"Strider?" Berin whispered as they worked.  
  
Aragorn threw another scimitar on the growing pile. "Yeah?"  
  
"You look so downhearted today. What is it?"  
  
"How can you work like this and not be downhearted?"  
  
The older man leaned forward. "You haven't been, until today."  
  
"It's Legolas. He doesn't like men, he doesn't liked caves, he doesn't like cells, and he is not the type that will bossed around."  
  
"He'll learn soon enough. We all did."  
  
"You don't know Legolas. He is so stubborn, and so full of pride. I was actually happier when he was unconscious, because he couldn't get himself into trouble that way."  
  
"Kaenji will look after him as much as he can."  
  
"Where are they working?"  
  
"In the silver mines."  
  
"Great," Aragorn mumbled, vaguely remembering that Merithol had said that. Just what Legolas needed- a mine.  
  
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Reviewers:  
  
Angel With No Wings: Lol, no worries, I was only teasing ya.  
  
SPEoD: Uhm, things have been really hectic around here. I'm trying to update quickly, but life has just gotten in the way. Yes, I bought Apollo. Are you competing in the show? If so, good luck! I won't be in any shows for a while. Oliver's retired, and Apollo is still too young and too green. Lol, polar opposites.  
  
Halandleg4ever: Lol, because they're Legolas and Estel. . . does it need any more explanation?  
  
Eve: Lol, I don't know why. I hate cliffies. Look, I left another, slightly smaller one. Lol.  
  
Lomiothiel: In answer to your first three questions, look at my response to Halandleg4ever. Elfnapped, lol. Uhm, well, I can't tell you what they have planned, but you've been given clues already.  
  
Gwyn: Lol, yes. He is a good guy! ! ! I fully believe that!  
  
Deana: Lol, as soon as I can. Thanks! (My 38 ½ poor Legolas.)  
  
Sky: Haha, no, they just keep finding new drugs. Will read your stuff soon.  
  
Lulu Bell: Wow, that was one really long review. I live in the desert. It was 90* plus today. It's fall, why is it so hot? Lol, thanks again. My 39 ½ Poor Legolas/elf. We have a game tomorrow, but it should be a piece of cake. We're still undefeated. Jeez, sick, hurt, it's all the same. Great job on your last game, that's awesome!  
  
ForceofHobbit: Uhm, okay, here's where I embarrass myself and admit that I don't actually know what Mithfalas means. I used the name generator at Barrow Downs and it popped back with that, and I did recognize the "leaf" on the end. So I figured, hey, that sounds like a good family name. One thing that I found said that it means "Grey Beach." That however does not sound right to me. It is a pretty common name outside of the books. I'm sorry. . . my knowledge is limited as well. I can only hold small, disjointed conversations. Thanks so much for the review!  
  
F h c: Hm, your senses are working. . . wink wink.  
  
Dimostiel: No apologies needed. Thanks!  
  
Nenya: Ah, I forget, which ring is Nenya? Vilya is Elrond's, so Nenya is Galadriel's, isn't it? Yeah, that's right. I remember now. (Sheesh, it's been a long long week.) Mmmm, I respect everyone's opinions, but can I impart a quote from Christopher Tolkien? "Long afterwards my father would write, in a wrathful comment on a 'pretty' or 'ladylike' pictoral rendering of Legolas: 'He was tall as a young tree, lithe, immensely strong, able swiftly to draw a great war-bow and shoot down a Nazgûl, endowed with the tremendous vitality of Elvish bodies, so hard and resistant to hurt that he went only in light shoes over rock or through snow, the most tireless of all the Fellowship'." So, as you can guess, I don't find him to be ladylike. But what fun is it if everyone has the same opinions? Arwen does indeed make another appearance, in this story actually, as well as a bigger appearance in the next story. Funny you should ask about the Legolas/Arwen/Aragorn thing. . . ::wink:: No, honestly, thank you so much for your time and your wonderful review!  
  
Das Blume: Holy monkeys, it will take me years to reply to this. (Not that I'm complaining, mind you.) Hi and goodbye, Monica! If you're pathetic for reading it, what am I for writing it, lol? Yeah, I read that essay too! I kind of follow the idea that he's about 800 years old, but it's just easier to portray a 100:1 ratio, using movie verse of yes you're right, 2,391. That would be about 24 human years, which is what he looked like. OMG, it was really late when I read your review the first time, and I was laughing so hard I was crying. "Now with a small town of men attached!" Lol, Legolas is like a hippie, with all the drugs! Haha, can't you see him at Woodstock, putting flowers in gun barrels and whatnot? Haha, "Please sit beside me!" That way he can keep his clean image and still get the effect. Ah, I'm a Yankees girl myself. They need to win the next two games! ! ! OMG, your dream, how funny is that? Gandalf would so be goalie. Lol, thanks for that really funny review!  
  
ElvenRanger13: I can't tell you, sheesh. Ruin my plot. Thanks for the review! 


	7. Don't Touch the Elf

Sorry guys, I know the last one was short and kind of fast. Happy reading this time around! And for all of you who think that Leggy's getting too much attention, and Aragorn not enough, here's your chapter! Also, I've decided that this is going to be a two-part story. This story has five or six more chapters left, though.  
  
Also, I apologize for how long it took me to get this chapter up. I had to rewrite a lot of it, and add new stuff and blah blah blah. As I heard someone on FF.net say it, (I can't remember who, sorry!) I was mugged by real life.  
  
Anyway, the next post should be up quickly, with any luck and some really nice professors.  
  
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Aragorn looked up as the cell doors were opened later that evening. He smiled, expecting to see Legolas and wanting his friend to be greeted by a happy face, but the smile faded.  
  
"What did you do to him?" He could not help his outburst as he stood up, his eyes on Legolas. The elf was being drug in by Merithol and one other, almost unconscious. Kaenji followed at a distance. Merithol smiled at Aragorn.  
  
"I didn't do a thing to him. You can blame the mines for this." They dropped the elf at the ranger's feet. "'Spect he might not make it to morning. The drug we gave him on the way here tends to stay in the blood for a long time. Can't imagine that helped him today."  
  
Aragorn barely hid a low growl in the back of his throat as he knelt by his friend. "Legolas?"  
  
"No," Merithol said, his voice deadly. "Leave him be." He raised his voice so that all of the prisoners heard him. "No one is to touch the elf. Do not help him, or I will have your heads. Jeralin backs me up on this. Am I understood?"  
  
Everyone nodded except for Aragorn. He paid no attention to the man, gently feeling for Legolas' heart rate. It was very, very slow.  
  
"Did you hear me, Strider?"  
  
Aragorn looked up, his hand gently prodding for any injuries the elf may have received. "I heard you."  
  
The slaves quieted, making the room eerie in its silence. They knew well enough to never openly defy Merithol, or Jeralin for that matter. Strider was too defiant for his own good.  
  
"I could kill you for that, Boy."  
  
"Go ahead. I bet Jeralin doesn't back you on that, though. He wants me alive, and you know it."  
  
The slaves murmured amongst themselves. Aragorn paid no attention to them. "He wants the elf and he knows he'll never be able to control him if I'm dead, isn't that right?"  
  
He felt a weak hand grab his arm, and turned his attention to the elf below him. "Strider, don't, you'll only make it worse for yourself," he whispered in elvish.  
  
He made to respond, but Legolas' eyes turned hazy and unresponsive. Unexpectedly, he was thrown against the wall.  
  
Giving out a gasp, he had no time to gather his wits as Merithol threw a punch at him. "I can't kill you," he whispered, pinning the young man to the wall, "but I can come very, very close."  
  
He pulled the young man away from the wall and out of the cell. Looking back, he added one last warning. "No one is to touch the elf."  
  
Legolas attempted to stand and help his friend, wandering back into reality, but he was too weak to move. Instead, he closed his eyes and welcomed the darkness that enveloped him.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~  
  
Merithol walked around Aragorn, who was tied to two poles, forced on his knees. "You will learn to never cross me." He nodded at someone behind the ranger, and Aragorn braced himself for what was to come.  
  
The first lash fell, and Aragorn hissed. He had never felt pain like this before, though he had known the kiss of a whip. Merithol smiled at his pain.  
  
"Like it, do you? It's something new the boss invented."  
  
A second lash fell. Aragorn clenched his eyes shut against the overwhelming pain.  
  
"There's metal weaved into leather."  
  
The ranger could not suppress the small cry that escaped his lips as he was struck a third time.  
  
"It's a broken weave, so that the ends of the metal pieces stick out."  
  
Tears sprang to Aragorn's eyes by the fourth lashing.  
  
"Quite effective, isn't it?"  
  
The fifth produced a quiet scream. Merithol laughed.  
  
"Go ahead and scream. You won't be able to stop yourself. Show me that it hurts."  
  
The screams grew louder with the sixth and seventh whistles of the whip.  
  
"Let me relish in the pain it causes you. Go ahead and scream."  
  
Aragorn bit his lip, waiting for the eighth strike. He was not going to give this man the pleasure he was looking for.  
  
Tears of shame rose in his eyes as he screamed fully. By the ninth lash, he was begging for mercy.  
  
"I'm sorry, what did you say?"  
  
"Please," Aragorn whispered, dangerously close to falling unconscious, "please stop."  
  
Merithol nodded again to the man behind the ranger, and a final strike fell on the man's unprotected back.  
  
Aragorn did not even try to keep his scream inside.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~  
  
Legolas snapped out of his trance, rolling onto his stomach and pushing himself to his feet. "Where is Strider?" He was asking everyone, yet no one in particular. He just wanted an answer.  
  
"Merithol took him," Mar said, not making eye contact with the elf. They had heard from legends about the wrath of elves, and none wanted to experience it. Naturally, hardly seeing any elves in their lifetimes, they could not be sure whether the legends were true or not, but nor did they want to find out.  
  
"Took him where?"  
  
"He's fine, Legolas. Don't worry about it."  
  
Legolas thought back to his dream, the reason he had been forced out of his trance. "He's not fine. He's in trouble."  
  
The slaves exchanged glances.  
  
"What? I wish you would stop doing that. What are you all thinking?"  
  
Mar kept his eyes down. "He will live, we can promise you that. Jeralin will not allow him to be killed."  
  
"Who is this Jeralin you all keep speaking of?"  
  
Berin shook his head. "You don't want to know."  
  
Legolas sighed in frustration. Surely this is how Aragorn felt when he tried getting information from the elves. Thinking to himself, he revised Gandalf's quote. 'Never go to the slaves of a town of men for counsel, for they will say yes, no, and maybe.'  
  
He tried speaking to Aragorn, a talent he had let go of after his last meeting with his grandfather, but saw only black, and spots of red. Wherever Aragorn was, he was near unconsciousness and in a lot of pain.  
  
"I need to help him."  
  
"No," Berin said firmly, "You need to stay here and learn your place, or you will be of no help to him when he comes back. He'll need you when he comes back. You don't want to be missing for that, do you?"  
  
"Could you be any more cryptic?" Legolas growled, letting his temper get the best of him. The slaves shrank back, and Legolas sighed. "I'm sorry." He was not going to explain himself to them, they would not understand anyway.  
  
'Aye, Valor, please protect him. Please let him come back to me.'  
  
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Legolas watched in silence as Mar finally closed his eyes- the final one to fall asleep that night. Now he was free to think of something he could do for his friend, but none of his plans seemed likely to work. He hated this place. It was as though they had thought of everything a slave could think of, and protected against it.  
  
He hated the slaves too. The child in him wanted to spit in their faces, but he was almost scared of what that might bring. Not one of them cared about Aragorn, and what had happened to him. Damn them all to Mordor! His friend was in trouble, and he would do whatever he could to help him  
  
He did not fear for himself at all. He had regained strength and energy from the unconsciousness he had been in earlier. And yet, he would go and do it all again tomorrow.  
  
He fidgeted. He hated not knowing where Aragorn was, hated not being there to protect him. He needed to be doing something, needed to be useful. Sitting in a cage, (for there was nothing else the elf could rightly call it,) far underground and away from the sun while his friend might be dying was not doing anything to help him "learn his place."  
  
So why was he here? He thought about everything he knew. The three men were from Gondor, but what of Jeralin, the man obviously in charge? They said they wanted an alliance with Mirkwood, but there had to be another motive behind that. He was lost at this point, his thoughts only turning over conjectures.  
  
Where was his father now? Did Thranduil send out a search party for them? Could they really be in the town they were said to be in? Surely the men wouldn't give away where they were that night over dinner if only to bring their captives there.  
  
Or maybe they would, if it was a trap. Had Legolas been taken for a ransom? What had been asked of Thranduil to get his son back? Legolas knew his father: anything they asked in exchange for him, they would get.  
  
'Stop,' he told himself. He was only guessing now, and had no proof that any of this had actually come to pass.  
  
The large cell door creaked open, drawing the elf from his thoughts. Aragorn was pushed in, his eyes half lidded, and pain written all over his face.  
  
As soon as the guard left, Legolas reached for his friend. "Strider, what happened?"  
  
"Legolas, you will never hear this from me again, and I'd appreciate if you didn't mention this to anyone back home, but please help me." He fell to his knees in front of his friend, the slowly laid of his stomach. Legolas drew in his breath sharply at the sight before him.  
  
"Aye, what happened to you?" He lightly touched one of the lacerations, but Aragorn hissed at the contact.  
  
"Just do me a favor and don't be like you are. If they ask you to do something, do it. Do not disrespect them. They have ways of stopping that, and I would not see it done to you. So set your pride aside, would you?"  
  
Legolas smiled despite the circumstances. "Why, I don't know what you're talking about, Strider. Me, defiant? Surely you jest."  
  
"Yeah. Now please help me. This hurts like you wouldn't believe."  
  
Legolas was smiling at his friend's good humor, but he did not see the tears of pain that Aragorn was crying.  
  
Aragorn buried his head in his arms, face down. He would do whatever it took to keep the elf's spirits up, no matter what it cost him.  
  
"So what happened to you today?"  
  
"Nothing, Strider. They told me that I was poisoned on the way here. I seem to remember someone saying that, but only vaguely. It causes extreme weariness, but that is all. It wore off more quickly than they expected, I think."  
  
"Don't you think we should see about that? The poison, I mean. It can't be healthy to keep it in your body like you have."  
  
"And what do you expect we do about it, Strider? It won't kill me, or it would have by now. I can deal with weariness, it is not worth another of these incidents," he said, indicating the human's back.  
  
Aragorn smiled, and eventually fell asleep with the elf still tending to his wounds. Somehow, everything seemed like it would work out in the end. They had each other, holding onto the solace the other could give them, and if all else failed, that alone would keep them alive.  
  
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Reviewers: (Look, no cliffhanger!)  
  
Leggylover: Ask and ye shall receive, lol.  
  
F h c: Nah, I always reply. No review is boring! (I have a few papers I need to be working on as well.)  
  
SPEoD: Wow, I'm amazed. . . there is an email address behind the name! You swim too? I used to be a competitive swimmer. Then I found everything else I'm into and I just couldn't make time for it, plus my coach was a jerk. I miss it though. Yeah, I have midterms coming up next week. I am not looking forward to those. Yes, I am flattered. You should be too, because I have papers to write and I should be studying, but I'm replying to your review, lol! Yes, Legolas cannot lie dormant for long, as we well know. Thanks for the review and good luck! ! !  
  
Gwyn: I love your speculations. Thranduil is good guy, a good king, and a good daddy. ::smile:: We shall see what happens to Legolas. And you are assuming they are gonna be rescued.  
  
Deana: You nailed that one!  
  
Nenya: I was considering taking Nienna as my elvish name, as she is my favorite of the Vala, but I figured people would yell at me for that, so I took Elenillor instead. (From the stars is what it means.) Yes, Elrond has Vilya, the ring of air. . . which leaves the ring of Fire with Gandalf, doesn't it? Contrary to the movie, I don't think Celeborn has it, though I could be wrong because I can't quite remember. Anyway, I like that quote too, and yes, I am proud of you! ::smiles::  
  
Coolio02: Aw, thanks! ! !  
  
Limiothiel: Haha, hey, I liked that as an answer. ::shrugs:: OMG, you raced all the way to the top? Why? I would have raced to like, the third floor. Holy monkeys. (OMG by the way stands for Oh My Gorilla. I'm into the using "monkey" or any variation thereof as profanity.) No wonder your legs hurt. Dude, it just MIGHT be the last thing you do. Go on strike. . . no, that's just all the transit and grocery employees in Southern California. All I can tell you is that Legolas isn't going to like being a slave. . . (that wasn't helpful, was it?)  
  
ElvenRanger13: Lol, I know. We'll just have to wait and see what happens. Thanks!  
  
Sky: Of course. Eh, yeah. . . it actually jumped about a month from that chapter to this before the rewrite. . . sorry 'bout that.  
  
Das Blume: That is the biggest review I have gotten. 4k in my inbox! My big ones are only 3k! "What business does a man, and elf, and a dwarf have in the Ridermark?" Estel says, "I am Strider, ranger of the north, and this is Legolas from the Woodstock realm." I am never gonna forget that now, lol. Haha, yeah, Gimli's hating me right about now. OMG, (look a couple reviews up for the meaning of OMG,) I can't believe you actually starting a bet. . . It won't let me through to the website though. Did you give em the right address? I'm so curious to see this! Haha, no, I think his problem was that he wasn't locking his door since Family Ties, so Merithol had no trouble getting in. "It seems he wants me to abduct him: he left the door wide open!" Hahaha, yeah, I guess that's true. "Great, the horse gets all the sympathy. I feel loved. Not." LMAO! (Laugh My Apes Off.) "Well, if there's going to be drugs, I'll come." Wow, I'm crying, that was so funny. Thanks for the very long and comical review! (I need to change my bio. All the pity for my horse didn't work.) PS. Thanks for the right link, lol. That's so awesome! There's actually a couple that are pretty close. . . ::wink::  
  
ForceofHobbit: Yes! I can stop it there, lol. Well, okay, I forgot about Mith meaning grey, it makes sense. So what's "fa" mean? I could just be a filler, like -illor means "from the" no matter what it's attached to. So there you have it, it means grey leaf. Lol. Thanks for the review (and the help figuring out my own character's name, sham on me, lol.) I swear I know what all of my other OC elves' names mean!  
  
Dimostiel: That's it? That's all the review I get? Two sentences? Just for that, no more action the rest of the story. Legolas will sit in his corner of the cell and watch Bob, his new spider friend. (I'm kidding, don't hurt me.) Lol, yes, there will be action, I promise! (You're gonna be complaining in later chapters when I get into the cliffhangers!)  
  
Hitokiri Youkai: I thank thee, for thou art truly a master of archaic diction. I shall write more, if it pleases thee.  
  
Arayelle Lynn: Ah, thanks so much! I know, I think I'll make a pattern: two rhyming, one free, two rhyming. So what rhymes with Alliances? Lol.  
  
Angel With No Wings: Lol, I know. . . I have a length problem. Lol. Feisty Legolas is a good thing!  
  
Halandleg4ever: Haha, it's Legolas. . . "nothing too bad." Mhm. That'll happen. Sure. Lol.  
  
Nikki: Lol, yes, captured. By the way, I think your second review was the shortest review I have ever gotten. I'm not sure how to respond to "wow," lol.  
  
Lulu Bell: We're not undefeated anymore. We may still come in first in league, but the title would have been nice. It was 27 to 25 all games. It was a really close, really hard loss. Congrats on your excellent win, though! ! Yeah, our game was brutal. Our main setter rolled her ankle, so coach took her out and iced it. Luckily, everyone on our team can set if we have to. Then we lost our best outside hitter. We thought she broke her ankle, but she only sprained it really badly. They may have to reattach ligaments in three weeks. It was downright ugly. We all started crying and everything. LOL, thanks so much for the review. And yes, I'm a US girl. ::smile:: I could not survive in an all girls school, lol. Hope your wrist feels better. Hey, they always have to try to break him, don't they? Humans just never learn.  
  
LegolasLover2003: Thank you! Thank you so much! I'm curious, though. . . how do you see me playing my characters? I mean, why is it unique to you? (I love reader insight, can you tell?) 


	8. Author's Note

Hey guys, I am so sorry I haven't been able to update in a long time. I know it's been over a week, but I didn't fall off the planet. The chapter's done, I just have to finish my reviewer replies and then upload. I just don't have the time. You all would not believe the week I've had. I have an English thesis due tomorrow and I haven't even started it yet. . . that's how bad it's been. I will get the next chapter up as soon as I possibly can. Thank you to everyone for your patience!  
  
Here's a preview from the next chapter:  
  
Aragorn gasped, clutching his left side, for a sudden pain had erupted there. Berin looked him curiously over the pile of weapons they were making.  
  
"You all right there, Strider?"  
  
Aragorn looked at his hand, as if expecting to see blood, but the pain subsided to a dull ache. "I don't know. That was weird. I feel like I've been burnt."  
  
Berin raised an eyebrow, but shrugged. "You okay now?"  
  
Aragorn nodded, but a hunch in his mind quickly turned to certainty. Legolas had been hurt.  
  
And no, that's not the end, the chapter won't end it that bad of a cliffhanger! Thanks again for your patience! 


	9. Mine

Look! An actual chapter! I am so sorry for that incredibly long wait. You have no idea what my week has been like. Ahhhg. . . that's all I have to say about that. This chapter's kind of long though, lol. (Comparatively.) Our v-ball season is over, so I should be able to upload more often than once a week. And wow, no one picked up on the foreshadowing hint last chapter. It was a huge one too. . .  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~  
  
Legolas kept his eyes in front of him at all times. As such, he could see only the stone in front of him, and it made life a little more bearable. He couldn't see the endless mines, the work that still needed to be done that could keep him there for many lifetimes.  
  
He watched his hands as they numbly chipped away at silver blocks. He had been working in the mines now for a week, though time was beginning to slip from his grasp. He no longer wanted to know how long he had been a prisoner here. He was slowly beginning to let go of the hope that his father would find him. Things were just more bearable if he gave in.  
  
"There he is! Get him!"  
  
Legolas closed his eyes. 'Please, don't let them be talking about me.' He was used to the guards coming in, quite often, and tormenting a random slave. He had been chosen once already, and the fact that he fought back was not looked upon kindly.  
  
His prayer was cut short by rough hands pulling on his shoulder, spinning him and shoving him into the wall. He begrudgingly lowered his eyes.  
  
"Jerilan wants you."  
  
A jolt of fear ran through the elf's veins.  
  
A man moved in front of him, gripping the elf's jaw tightly, bringing his head up. The blue eyes of the elf met the dark ones of the man.  
  
"This is the one?"  
  
A man nodded. Legolas let his eyes wander between the both of them, curious as to what they meant.  
  
Jeralin was sizing him up. A glimmer of defiance shone in Legolas' eyes before he nodded his head to the side, forcing the man's hand off of him.  
  
"Ah, I see Merithol did not fabricate when he spoke of your stubborn nature."  
  
"I am not stubborn, but I have my pride."  
  
A smile spread across the human's thin lips. "Indeed? We'll see how long it lasts you. My name is Jerilan."  
  
Legolas said nothing, and Jerilan only nodded at the silence. "Very well. I'm sure we'll be seeing each other again. Continue on."  
  
"Yes, run off, you target of far away laughter," Legolas mumbled to himself in elvish at the retreating forms of the guards.  
  
Jerilan halted mid step. "Pardon me?"  
  
Legolas froze. "Nothing, sir." He cringed. Every time he said "sir," he broke a little bit more.  
  
"Far away laughter, hm?"  
  
The man knew elvish. Legolas was stone still, having no idea how to react now.  
  
Jerilan smiled, very slowly. "Bring him to the animal house. I believe we have work to do."  
  
Legolas cringed as someone landed a fist in his stomach, causing him to double over. The guards pounced on him.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~  
  
Jeralin smiled at the elf being drug into a small stable. He was struggling valiantly, and several of his men had bruises appearing on their skin. "Take off his tunic."  
  
The words only made Legolas fight harder, though he had no idea what was going to happen. Something deep inside told him to get away, as soon as possible.  
  
The guards continued to struggle with him. Jeralin watched the whole time, his smile only growing wider. "Hold him still."  
  
He crouched down to Legolas' level, who was being held on his knees. "Do you know what we do to slaves who disobey? We punish them. Now, there are two punishments that I am thinking of. Answer me one question, and it will decide your punishment. Who is your master?"  
  
Legolas, temporarily stalled from struggling to get free, looked at the man with hatred in his eyes. "I belong to no one, and I listen to none other than my king."  
  
"I thought you might say that." He snapped his fingers, and a beefy man appeared from somewhere to Legolas' right. He was carrying a long iron.  
  
A branding iron. Legolas resumed his struggling, fighting desperately to get away.  
  
"Sir, it isn't suppose to be red," one of the guards said, looking at the glowing iron.  
  
"I am well aware of that." He stepped back to allow the beefy man room.  
  
Legolas felt the heat near his left abdomen before the iron ever touched him. He braced himself, thinking of anything he could to take his mind off of this. 'Just don't scream. . .'  
  
He couldn't help the piercing cry that escaped his lips as the red-hot metal made contact with his skin. He bit his lip, but it was to no avail. He screamed in terrible agony, so that even some of the guards felt sorry for him.  
  
Jeralin smiled cruelly, kneeling in front of the prince. He pointed to the burnt flesh. "This marks you as mine."  
  
Legolas grit his teeth against the searing pain, not quite comprehending what the man meant. At the moment, he was far more concerned with the pain.  
  
"Take him away."  
  
Legolas was too far within his own world to fight against their hands.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~  
  
Aragorn gasped, clutching his left side, for a sudden pain had erupted there. Berin looked him curiously over the pile of weapons they were making.  
  
"You all right there, Strider?"  
  
Aragorn looked at his hand, as if expecting to see blood, but the pain subsided to a dull ache. "I don't know. That was weird. I feel like I've been burnt."  
  
Berin raised an eyebrow, but shrugged. "You okay now?"  
  
Aragorn nodded, but a hunch in his mind quickly turned to certainty. Legolas had been hurt.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~  
  
Legolas did not move that night as he lay near to Aragorn. The others thought the two to be sleeping. Only Aragorn was. Legolas remained silent, and for their benefit, kept his eyes closed. His hand moved absently to his side, where a scar was forming, in the shape of a J. He had put his tunic on before he saw Aragorn him that evening. No one would have to know of it.  
  
Of course, Aragorn had tried to find out what had happened, but the elf told him nothing. The man let the subject drop, seeing that Legolas still seemed healthy and without any obvious wounds.  
  
The conversation of the slaves intrigued him, so he listened carefully.  
  
"I don't know what to make of them," Kaenji said softly.  
  
Berin nodded. "Strider has been here weeks, and still he has not let go of his emotions as we all did. He still believes that he will get out of this. Whatever Meirthol did to him worked its purpose. He had not talked back to anyone since that day, but he still manages to have that hope."  
  
"You should have heard Legolas his first day! Talking of hope and escape. He was so passionate about it."  
  
An elderly man spoke. "I don't blame them. I would have just as much hope as they do, if I was that young."  
  
Another denied it. "Look at Kaenji. He's just as young as Strider, but he's hardened himself as much as the rest of us."  
  
Another voice, calm and gentle, broke into the conversation. "We need to count on the fact that they are so sure of escape. It gives us a reason to go on. If nothing else, it makes our day a little more bearable. Why try to take that out of them sooner than this place would see it done?" He looked sidelong at Legolas, not quite sure the elf was asleep. He had dealt with elves before, but never so closely. He knew they were mysterious beings, so he didn't quite trust this one.  
  
"Stop it. Why let them have false hope? They are not getting out of here, wouldn't they do better to learn that now, Mar? Besides, you know what is to become of it." It was Berin.  
  
"For what? So they can be like the rest of us? Bitter, cold, without hope? What is wrong with letting them have that?" Mar started to raise his voice.  
  
"They last person that tried to escape was tortured, and killed. I would not see that done to those two. They have so much going for them."  
  
Kaenji spoke up. "Legolas told me he wanted death over this."  
  
"Think of what sweet release it would bring to the hopeless."  
  
"Mar, drop it. Let them keep their hope, but I do not want any of you encouraging it! Am I understood?" Berin growled. There were scattered responses.  
  
Legolas sighed as the conversation moved to other things. Was it true? Did they have a false hope in salvation? Were they truly trapped here forever?  
  
No. There had to be a way out. There had to be. He would find it. He didn't know how much longer he would last here. He sighed again, and let his body fall into an alert sleep.  
  
Aragorn subconsciously calmed in his sleep as he felt Legolas relax next to him.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~  
  
"Get up, Legolas."  
  
The prince tried to shut out the voices. Oh Valar, they were so familiar.  
  
"Come on, you don't want them waking you up."  
  
It was Orophir's voice. Orophir's and Tarduain's voices.  
  
"Please, Legolas, you need to get up."  
  
That one was Mithfalas's voice. It was sweet and melodical, drawing him closer to awareness.  
  
Aragorn noticed the elf's eyes shift their focus. "He's waking up," he informed the others. "Legolas, are you all right?"  
  
"Hmm?" Legolas said, trying to remember where he was.  
  
"You gave us quite a scare last night," Berin interjected.  
  
"What?" The prince was completely confused now. What was happening? Where were Orophir and Tarduain and Mithfalas?  
  
All dead, in different senses of the word.  
  
"You had a fever, and you were fighting us in your sleep." Aragorn was whispering to him, but Legolas could not comprehend what was being said.  
  
"I bet it's the poison."  
  
"Mar, would you learn when to shut your mouth!?"  
  
"No, surely not?" Aragorn looked to Berin. The man sighed.  
  
"He gave the elf poison when he first kidnapped you, didn't he?"  
  
Aragorn nodded his head slowly. "But that was a long time ago."  
  
"It's a fatal drug when given in high doses. Or when untended to." He looked at the elf, sadness creeping into his eyes.  
  
"No," Aragorn said, somewhat distractedly. "He's not dying."  
  
"He may be. You have to prepare yourself for that."  
  
"No!" Aragorn shouted, standing now. "He is not dying!"  
  
Berin remained calm and detached. "It happens to many of the slaves brought here. Especially the strong willed ones."  
  
Aragorn sighed. He wished he had his supplies with him. "How long does he have?"  
  
"I'd say a couple of days."  
  
Kaenji shook his head. "No, Berin. The guards came for him yesterday. I don't know what they did, but I heard him screaming. We all heard it."  
  
"Screaming?" Aragorn looked at his friend. "I am so sorry, Legolas. I should have been there."  
  
Kaenji sighed. "The work he was put through yesterday had to have diminished all of his strength. I don't think he'll last the day."  
  
"I hate this place more and more everyday. Is there nothing you can do?" No one moved. Several looked at their feet. "There has to be something! If it happens to so many, why have you not found some way to cure it?"  
  
By now, only Mar was holding his gaze. Aragorn looked at him desperately. "Please help him."  
  
The young man looked at the prince. "He's gone unconscious again."  
  
"Please, Mar."  
  
"All right, I'll see what I can do. But I can't make any promises. We have limited supplies down here, and he's pretty far gone and. . ." he let his voice trail off. He did not want to voice the end of the sentence.  
  
"Just do what you can. I will not have him die."  
  
"He will need you to be with him for this."  
  
"I'm not going anywhere." He sat down, pulling Legolas' body close to him. His friend felt strangely cold after the temperature he had the night before.  
  
Mar looked to Kaenji. "Don't let them see us."  
  
The other shrugged. "You three have already been taken to work."  
  
"Thank you, Kane."  
  
"Hey, if you get caught, it's your neck, not mine."  
  
"What do I have to do?" Aragorn asked.  
  
"Just be ready for him when he wakes up." He looked the ranger in the eye. "He will wish for death over what is about to happen to him."  
  
"Will you explain it to me, so I know what to expect?" Aragorn was more nervous than he cared to admit. He thought the poison would have worked its way out of the elf's system by now.  
  
Mar nodded. "I am going to give him a series of drugs that will counteract the poison in him. However, the drugs are about as bad on the body as the one in him, and. . . well, it won't be pleasant. If you want the truth, Strider, we never do this to newcomers because it usually ends up killing them." He sat back, waiting for the man's response.  
  
"What are the chances of him surviving this without your treatment?"  
  
"There is none."  
  
"And with it?"  
  
"The chances of him surviving this are one in a million."  
  
Aragorn nodded. "There's still hope then. Do it."  
  
"You're sure?" Mar knew what the man's answer would be.  
  
Aragorn nodded, before he could change his mind. It may be a small chance, but it was the elf's only chance. He watched as Mar deftly mixed potions together in a tin cup. He wondered what they were, but decided that it did not matter. Perhaps he would ask later, when whatever the Valar had decided upon happened.  
  
"Tip his head back, and plug his nose. He isn't going to want to swallow this."  
  
Aragorn did as he was told, and Mar poured the concoction down Legolas' throat. He quickly closed the elf's mouth, and waited.  
  
He knew, even in the uncomprehending state he was in, that the elf knew his choices. It was either swallow, or suffocate.  
  
He swallowed. "Hold on, Strider. It's about to get bad."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~  
  
Reviewers: That wasn't too bad of a cliffie, now was it? ::Ducks as people start throwing things at her:: I'm dying to see how many 'Poor Legolas' s I'll get after this chapter. Last chapter was the most Aragorn's I've ever gotten in one shot.  
  
Gwyn: Mm, somewhere in your nice little review lies the plot line of the next story. But that is all I am gonna say, considering you put several things in there that are all equally valid. Don't worry, Legolas will get back to Mirkwood with all those large, nasty spiders. . . er. . . I mean yes, he will make it home safely ::looks around hoping no one else saw that:: ::wink::  
  
Arayelle Lynn: I don't know what rhymes with it either, but that's okay 'cuz the next title is Secret Alliances part two. Which doesn't technically rhyme, so forget it, no pattern then. It was nice for the first two stories. (Or Part two, Secret Alliances. At least Alliances rhymes with itself, lol.) YAY! I LOVE YA MAN! I was really trying to get that point across too, how they've bonded. I mean, Legolas just knew when Aragorn was being whipped. I mean, he didn't know what was happening, but he knew something was going on. And again in this chapter how Estel felt the pain when Leggy got branded. I'm so glad you noticed!  
  
Das Blume: No, dude, I like the long reviews! There is no need to try and make them short, (though you never succeed when you try for that anyway, lol.) So much to reply to. Okay, if my Silm. memory serves me correctly, Valar is the group as a whole, all of them, Vala is just the women of the Valar. More specifically, he was praying to Nienna not to let Estel die. Though I suppose he should have actually been praying to Mandos for that. Or too, he could have been praying to Nienna to give comfort to Estel if he should die, because at the time, Leggy didn't know what was going on, just that Estel was in a lot a pain. However, I don't think "Valars" is any of them, sorry, lol. ::grins:: No, dude, I didn't mean read through all my reviews, I just meant my replies in that chapter. Sheesh. . . it means "Oh my Gorillas," since I tend to say "Holy Monkeys" a lot. LMAO also means Laugh My Apes Off. (Hey, college does this to you, what can I say?) I haven't thought of any others yet. I know! You were the 116th review! And the story's not even over yet! It makes me so happy! And there is just no pleasing you, is there? Don't worry, chapter ten has a lot of action. I promise. So does nine, but you may not think so. A lot starts to be revealed in the next couple of chapters. Elrohir: "Well, that and to get your best friend into all sorts of trouble and see just how many different poisons you can get him to try." Well, come on, SPEoD's is obvious. That's always the ending. But there are other close ones. . . alas, I have said too much. Ah, it's college. You bring a pad of paper and a pencil into the room and people look at you weird. Like, "What's that? Didn't I see that in the local museum?" As they type madly away at an instant message telling everyone else NOT in the room how weird you are. Hm, sorry. I'm done, lol. Looking forward to your next incredibly long review. (My replies are getting just as long, sheesh!)  
  
Angel With No Wings: No kidding. Talk about a personal rain cloud. . . though they tend to share one, lol.  
  
F h c: I saw someone with a license plate that was just f h c. I was like, hey, cool! Anyway, yes, I like torture. Uhm, especially to Legolas. But I thought, to be fair, Aragorn should get some owies too. Haha, they would be perfect poster children for Band-Aid. "I am stuck on Band-Aid brand. . ." Sorry, lol. I can just see the two of them with bandaids all over themselves singing the song. (It's late, what can I say?)  
  
Wildfire2: Hey! Hi! (I'm not usually like this, I'm just really energetic tonight.) Thanks for the review! (Interesting name, too. Do you live in California? Sorry, sorry, just kidding. . . that was a really bad joke.)  
  
SPEoD: I think that's the shortest review you've given me, lol. Oh, two "poor"'s each! This is nice! I don't archive my stories on Cassia's site, though I suppose I should. Lol, I'm just too lazy to send it in. Plus, it's easier to get people to feedback on here. We will see Thranduil again. Merithol wants nothing with Leggy and Aragorn. ::Gasp:: Did the author just give away a piece of plot? ? ? ? Haha, how mysterious was that answer, though? Just brings up more questions, doesn't it?  
  
Lulu Bell: Haha, yeah, that line reminded me of Gimli in TTT, "Don't tell the elf." I liked it too, lol, thanks. I know, is it even possible for Leggy not to be all defiant and do something stupid? Hm, well, I bet you didn't guess that this would happen to Leggy, huh? I'm evil. Lol, you should have asked for an extra medium pizza, and diet water. That's always fun to see what the waiters do. Yeah, you could say that Leggy got in trouble. Just a bit. My Halloween was good. I went to my friend's church because they put on a Harvest Fest for the kids, it was really fun helping out with. Little kids are so cute! How was yours? Das Blume meant that you wrote really long reviews. Yours are always 3k in my inbox, as are Das Blume's, but she sent me a 4k one, and I said she wrote long ones and she said you were trying to beat her. . . did that make sense? I confused myself so I may have confused you too, lol. Thanks for the great review!  
  
Deana: Hahaha, or something that would drive everyone insane, like, "It's a Small World." Or "I am stuck on band-aid brand. . ." Lol.  
  
Hellmarie: I'm sorry it's upsetting. They'll all be fine and happy and normal in the end, I promise. (Well, as normal as those two can be.)  
  
Nenya: I'm not sure what Nienna means, but she was the Vala that went off to live alone in her sadness at what happened to the earth. (I think, someone's gonna yell at me if I got that wrong.) She visits the Halls of Mandos a lot to bring comfort to those there. She turns sadness to comfort. Kind of depressing, but she's my favorite of the Vala. (So I guess I should know more about her, huh?) See, no drug overdose. Hey, thanks! That's cool. So what, his name is like, True Grey Leaf? Lol. . . I do know all of my other OC elves' names, I swear it! I picked their names because of their meaning, actually. Thanks for that tidbit!  
  
Nikki: Lol, that's my opinion too, there's no such thing as too much Leggy!  
  
Sky: I'm glad it makes more sense because I went and skipped another week on ya here. . . sorry!  
  
Leggylover03: Lol, quite defiant, yes. And there goes Legolas, he never learns when to keep his mouth shut, lol. Hm, and did you notice the elvin pride you mentioned in this chapter? And see, they now have help! (Well, not escaping help, but lifesaving help. That's important too!)  
  
LegolasLover2003: That's weird, having your names right next to each other, lol. (If I sound like an idiot, please forgive me. I am so tired, it's not even funny.) Hey, I'm not complaining. Unique is quite a compliment, thank you! The elf can touch others, though he wasn't in much of a state to. Good question.  
  
Lomiothiel: Yay! My tenth poor Aragorn. Leggy's already up in the forties. I guess that means I need to write my Aragorn torture! Lol, happy incredibly belated Halloween to you too! Thanks for the review!  
  
Fire Eagle: Piles of homework. . . dear Lord, what I wouldn't give for piles. I'm working on mountains right now, lol. Extreme dismay. . . are you sure you're only sixth grade? That's so hard to believe. No, no, no. The SLAVES aren't allowed to touch Leggy. . . meaning they aren't allowed to HELP him. . . meaning major angst. . . lol. And hey, you were right one with the dreams/hallucinations. Kudos! And yes, I loved the length of the review! Sorry it took me so long to update!  
  
Dimostiel: Grr, you and your sarcasm, lol. Haha, Bob. Gotta love Bob. How was the cliffhanger here? There are better ones to come, I promise!  
  
And to those who reviewed to my author's note which faked a chapter 8:  
  
Lulu Bell: Yeah, I pulled an all nighter. I finished it at 2:30 in the morning, and got three hours of sleep. One of my good friends ended up doing the same, but she only got an hour of sleep. I am a procrastinator, but I really wanted to get this one done early. I just honestly didn't have the time. Between school, life, and family emergencies, I haven't even had time to blink, lol! You and your battle scars. Jeez. Yeah, I have a few more, too, but I forget where I got them from. So if you're only in tryouts, good luck!  
  
SPEoD: Here you are, an actual chapter! Lol, sorry for the false alarm.  
  
Bec: I wondered if you had just stopped reading altogether. I'm glad you're still alive too! It seems like you missed more than one chapter, but my updates are so far apart now that I lose track of time, lol. Four more weeks until what? I need our Thanksgiving break soon. I need time to recoup.  
  
Lizzie: Took me until 2:30 AM, but I did it! Lol, thanks!  
  
Solange: Aw, thank you so much! That really meant a lot. Thanks for reviewing!  
  
Das Blume: Here, an update! Lol. I'm so glad I have no siblings. 


	10. He's Fighting

Classes are really starting to bother me. My professors have all gone mad. Anyway, Here's another chapter, fairly long as compared to normal. Enjoy. (Who knows when Life will let me upload again, eh?)  
  
I'd just like to say that I am so sorry this took me so long. I like to do at least one update a week, but things have been going on lately and all. . . and I just don't have the time. I am going to try to get another chapter uploaded today. Try being the operative word, so no promises. Thank you all for your patience. ::Big hugs all the way around::  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~  
  
Aragorn tightened his grip on his friend's shoulders as the elf's body tensed.  
  
"Hold him still." Not a second later, Legolas began fighting and thrashing.  
  
"What's happening?"  
  
"He's trying to escape from the pain. It's like a horse rolling when it has colic. . . to get away from the pain."  
  
"How long is this going to last?"  
  
Mar shrugged sympathetically. "It's hard to say. Hours. Maybe days." If he lived that long.  
  
Aragorn watched his friend suffer helplessly. Doubt and suspicion began to form in his own mind. Why had he so willingly believed that Legolas' fever was from the poison? It could have been. could have been. any number of things. So what if he couldn't think of one off the top of his head, but he knew it could have been something other than the poison.  
  
Then he had to blindly trust Mar, when he barely knew the young man. What if they were all trying to deceive them? What if they wanted Legolas dead?  
  
"Estel!"  
  
The ranger was pulled from his thoughts as Legolas cried out. He began whispering in elvish. "Lasto beth nin, Legolas. I am here. Listen to my voice, lasto beth nin." It had no effect on the elf, but Aragorn continued anyway.  
  
Legolas was fighting the torture that his grandfather was forcing on him. It caused such terrible pain, but he was being held down, forced to take it all. He wanted to take it like a warrior, but oh Valar it hurt so much.  
  
Aragorn reacted quickly as Legolas began curling in on himself. He tried to keep the elf's body open, but Legolas was fighting with everything he had. He knew, deep down, that part of it was the he knew he was being held by a man, but it was worse than normal. It caused Aragorn's heart to break. "What did they do to you yesterday? I am sorry that I am adding to this, Legolas. But you need to pull out of this. I need you."  
  
He started whispering in elvish again, words that he had heard his father use before. It calmed the elf down very little, but it was something.  
  
"He should wake up soon, if that is any comfort to you."  
  
"And what state will he be in when he awakes?"  
  
Mar would not meet his eyes. "Much the way he is now, only he will understand what's happening."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Legolas stayed hidden in the shadows, listening to his father and brother talk.  
  
"I do not want to have to take this to the court, Mithfalas."  
  
"No, indeed. What would be the point? You have ultimate ruling there as well."  
  
"Don't be like this. You could fight your case."  
  
"Again, I ask you, what would the point be? You want me gone, and no court hearing is going to change that!" He tried to keep his voice low, for he had a feeling his little brother would be listening.  
  
"Mithfalas!"  
  
"Father, no. I'll go. Explain to Legolas for me, will you?"  
  
"I will not explain this to him."  
  
The younger elf sighed. "And how do you propose to tell the kingdom, if you will not tell your own son?"  
  
"You committed treason. I had to let you go. Legolas will be the crown prince. He is old enough, should anything happen."  
  
Legolas held back a gasp. It couldn't be. . . his brother was being exiled?  
  
"Will you allow me to explain it to him, before I leave?"  
  
Thranduil paused, but finally nodded, realizing that if he didn't allow his son to go, he would have to explain it.  
  
Mithfalas left his father's study for the last time, and did not look back.  
  
"Legolas."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Strider!"  
  
Aragorn wanted to cry, seeing the pain Legolas was enduring. "I'm here, I'm here."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~  
  
Legolas was awake. His eyes landed on Mar, and he tried to push away from the man.  
  
"He's hallucinating."  
  
"Is there nothing you can do past this?"  
  
The slave shook his head. "He's fighting."  
  
"He's losing," Aragorn growled, mostly to himself. "Legolas, I will not have you die on me. You are not going to die on my watch."  
  
"Go away. . ." it was barely audible.  
  
"He doesn't know it's us. He may be remembering someone from his past that he would want to have go away."  
  
"Look, I appreciate your help, but can you just leave us? Please?"  
  
Mar nodded, rising to his feet and quickly disappearing from sight.  
  
"Legolas."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Legolas, I have to leave for a while."  
  
"Don't, Fal. I know what happened. Don't play games."  
  
The elder ran a hand over his face. "Father doesn't know what he's doing. Losing Mother was the worst thing that could have happened to him."  
  
"And what of us? Losing Mother wasn't exactly easy for me."  
  
Mithfalas took his brother by the shoulders. "Stop it, what's done is done. Now you must stay and be strong for Ada. I'm sorry I can't be here. Listen to me, Legolas. You've a lot of responsibilities being laid on your shoulders, and a lot of people who will expect you to pull through for them."  
  
Legolas looked away, but Mithfalas gently shook his shoulders to regain his attention. "Listen to me. I know you feel like it's too much. Nothing ever prepared you for this. But you want to know something? I'm one of those people expecting you to pull through for them. You're not being given anything you can't handle. Stay strong for me."  
  
There was a pause. Both brothers looked into each other's eyes, evaluating the other.  
  
"Take me with you, Fal."  
  
Mithfalas shook his head. "Please don't do this. I can't take you with me. Just promise me that you'll stick through this, and I'll be on my way."  
  
"I promise."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"Where will you go?"  
  
"The Golden Wood. Or. . . there is a town of men a few days journey from here. Perhaps I will go there and become a ranger. And if Ada should have crossed the sea by that time, you will invite me to your wedding, with whomever you choose by then?"  
  
Legolas was frustratedly fighting tears. He could only nod. "So this is goodbye, then?"  
  
"No, let's not say goodbye. Besides, goodbyes denote endings, and this is certainly not the end."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Aragorn creased his brow as Legolas began mumbling. He was speaking have elvish, half common tongue. He was also speaking in broken sentences, and so Aragorn could not make sense of it.  
  
"Exile. . . lasto. . . Fal!"  
  
Although Aragorn could not understand what the elf was saying, his heart beat rose to match the rhythm of the frantic voice.  
  
"Legolas, I am Strider. Estel. You are in Evandael. We are slaves. Fal is not here."  
  
Whispers started around the ranger. He took note of them, but then paid them no heed.  
  
The prince groaned. "I don't want to remember this."  
  
"Talk to me, Legolas. What are you remembering?"  
  
He received no answer. Legolas had fallen back into a sleep, but it was not a peaceful one. Memories surfaced, causing him to flinch away from Aragorn's grasp, though he did not realize it.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~  
  
Legolas was finally forced to remember what had really happened with his brother. Mithfalas was gone, lost forever to his people, and Thranduil had caused it. Had he been younger, it would have been traumatizing to him. The age difference between the brothers was a matter of decades. . . so minimal by elvish standards. They were so much like friends rather than brothers, and yet they had been brothers when one of them needed it.  
  
And just a century later, he and Arwen had been captured. He had needed a brother or a friend then, but there was no one. Over that century, Thranduil had managed to tell a lie to Legolas, to make his youngest son believe that it had been Mithfalas' fault.  
  
What Legolas couldn't understand was that Thranduil never meant to tell a lie to Legolas. He loved his youngest with his whole heart and soul, and would never do wrong to him. Thranduil had really been telling the lie to himself. He needed to believe that he had done the right thing by exiling Mithfalas.  
  
"Mithfalas!" Aragorn was not surprised by the cry, but the sudden silence of the room did surprise him. He looked quizzically at Berin.  
  
"It is nothing, Strider."  
  
"Please tell me. You have reacted every time he mentions Fal. Why?"  
  
"We know the elf of whom he speaks."  
  
"What? How? Where is he?"  
  
Berin sighed, squatting next to the young man. "He used to live here. There were tales of it, centuries ago. He left when the town worsened, or so they say. He visited us once, not too long ago. He just barely escaped the clutches of Jerilan's men. Jeralin's been searching for him ever since. How does he know Mithfalas?"  
  
Aragorn opened his mouth to answer, but said nothing. If the person in charge here so wanted Mithfalas, to the extent that he was searching for him, what would happen if he knew he had the elf's brother? Still a part of him did not trust the other slaves. "There are legends of him in elvish cities that say he rescues those in need."  
  
Berin laughed. "Indeed he does. He rescued fifteen of us last time he was here."  
  
"Do you think we can get him back here? Legolas needs to get out of here. He needs fresh air."  
  
"It won't happen. There are guards everywhere waiting for him to return." He nodded at Legolas. "He'll just have to fight this one out."  
  
"Berin, listen to me, please. Legolas will not make it like this. He doesn't like caves, he doesn't like cells, and his race by nature needs open air to survive."  
  
Berin stood up so that Aragorn had to tilt his head to look into his eyes. "Then prepare yourself for the inevitable. The elf will die."  
  
Aragorn cried out in frustration. He too stood, and slammed his fist into the stone wall, ignoring the pain it caused.  
  
"Strider, there is nothing you can do! Just be here for him in his last minutes, and-"  
  
The cell door swung open. "There he is."  
  
Aragorn looked towards the newcomers. Merithol was there, with four other men that he had never seen before. One of the unrecognizables was pointing at Legolas.  
  
Panic shot through the young man. They were coming for them! Merithol had told them! He moved if front of his still friend.  
  
The five men were advancing towards him.  
  
"Move," one of them growled. Aragorn knew he should move, he knew by staying put he would only make things worse, but he could not abandon his friend. Not now.  
  
He feebly shook his head.  
  
"Jerilan?"  
  
Jerilan, the one who had spoken to Aragorn looked back to his men. "I don't have time for this. Take him too. Anyone else want to oppose us?"  
  
No one moved. No one, except for Mar.  
  
"I mean no disrespect sir, and I do not mean to oppose you. Indeed, sir, that is not my intention. I was only wondering if you would allow me to accompany the elf. He is in a real bad way, and he made need someone to hold him still."  
  
Jerilan looked to Merithol.  
  
"Dragonseed, sir. He was giving us a hard time on the way here."  
  
Realization struck the young man with lightning force. They knew; they knew Legolas was Mithfalas' brother. That was the reason they took him: not to use him against Thranduil, but to use him against Mithfalas.  
  
"Dragonseed would not have put him in a 'real bad way'. Besides, I saw him yesterday. He was fine."  
  
Mar stepped forward. "Well, sir, it was wearing off really fast. We gave him the lethal form. We had no other choice, sir."  
  
Aragorn's head snapped around to face the other man. He would not meet the ranger's eyes. Legolas hadn't been dying! It was only the effect of the drug wearing off. . .  
  
He couldn't stop himself. He lunged at Mar, knocking him to the ground. "I trusted you! Damn it! You lied to me!"  
  
Two of the men he did not recognize pulled him off the young slave, though he was fighting them valiantly.  
  
"Get him ready." Jeralin said, motioning to Aragorn. As he was being pulled from the room, he heard the slave owner's next words. "Can you wake the elf up?"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~  
  
Reviewers: (11 Poor Leggy's!)  
  
LeggyLover03: Uhm, I missed the update soon part, didn't I? Escape is looking kind of impossible right now, too. Hm, where is Thranduil?  
  
F h c: I love the plates, like, I saw one on a corvette that said "corvette." I was think, really? I wondered what that car was. Lol. I'm not going to tell you WHAT the foreshadowing was. That will give away part of my plot. Although you were the only one that asked. Also, HAPPY way belated BIRTHDAT! ! !  
  
Angel with No Wings: You were my first poor leggy of the chapter. Uhm, well, I can't say if it will be substantial or not, but it will come into play again. ::wink::  
  
SPEoD: Ah, ::blushes:: thanks for the complement. I'm so mad though, one of my stories, (the next one, actually,) has been written for a couple of moths now, and I was so proud of it, then Traitor was uploaded, and one of the events was like, the exact same as in my story. I was like, AH! I wrote it first. But hey, they updated it first, so I'm just gonna have to put a huge disclaimer at the beginning of that chapter. Was that confusing? Lol, you'll see next story. Hey, how did your show go? How'd you do? All firsts, right? The show I was at had the most impossible jumper course. Nearly everyone was whistled out. Only one person made it through clean. Uh, Aragorn might find out about it. . . he won't this story, at least. Leggy's got too much pride to let anyone know about it. And, that's what I meant by "it's about to get worse." ::cheeky grin::  
  
Lizzie: Lol, you're the only who caught that it can't be undone. Kudos. Mithfalas is Leggy's brother, Oropher is Leggy's grandfather, and Tarduian was the evil king that Leggy was taken captive by in story one. Does that help?  
  
LegolasLover2003: Aragorn's going to need more emotional than physical strength, especially in the next chapter, hehe. Aragorn isn't holding out too much hope, is he? Yeah, where is Thranduil? Hm. . . lol!  
  
Solange: Lol, I will hurry with the NEXT chapter, okay? I didn't hurry too well with this one! Legolas does have to make it to the Fellowship, so I don't think he's gonna die. You never know though. I could totally break canon. ::Evil grin::  
  
Nenya: Yay, a really big review! No, it's okay. You're allowed to say that I don't update enough. I know I don't. I'm horrible about it. I keep trying, and then my professors go and pile work on us. Sheesh, shame on them. Hey, I get a kick out of proofreading people's work, and you think you're a nerd? Lol. No, you should write a fic. I always say that an author who writes for the public will never succeed. You have to write what you know, what you love, and then you'll be successful. Thanks for the compliments. Hm, and a ranger compares to a prince-warrior, how? Legolas is a warrior, a great archer, skilled with blades, he can see and hear better than Aragorn, he can make it through snow quicker, he can walk soundless and without leaving a trace, which means even with his ranger skills, Aragorn could not track him. Legolas is so much cooler, lol! Legolas was raised by elves too, and he is also royalty. He is also well rounded with many friends. I'd say the two are just about equal, and if not, Legolas is so much better! (Haha, just for you, I'll try to add more Aragorn owies, but this story is pretty much Legolas', you'll see why in the next few chapters.) Thanks for the long review!  
  
Sara: Yay! I missed you! Where've you been? (Of course, I really have no room to talk.) And does this chapter tell you what I meant by "it's about to get bad?" Yes, I know he has to make it to the Fellowship, but that doesn't mean he won't have a few close calls along the way. What did you do to hurt your wrist?  
  
Nikki: Okay, he was poisoned when they first kidnapped him. When he was woken up in the middle of the night and Merithol took him out of the castle and he was being all defiant, like he usually is. Yes, cheesecake is the cure all. Lol. Well, here we go with another chapter after AGES.  
  
Sky 14: Thanks.  
  
Gwyn: We've got all that, and they're not even out yet! Lol. Thanks for the review.  
  
Coolio02: I'm working on that posting soon thing, lol.  
  
Galadriel Evenstar: I hate when I get a new reviewer and then I don't update for ages. Lol, I really try and update more quickly than this. Thanks for the great review!  
  
Bec: We've got six weeks left of our semester. Which I am so thrilled about. Really. Can't you just see my excitement? You and Sara are so much alike, lol, it cracks me up. Ooh, Legolas gets way more owies. I think this is the most damaging story I've written him into yet. There will probably be worse ones later, but lol. The next update will be soon, lol. I hope. I'm really trying.  
  
Elainor: Lol, that's exactly how I had them pegged. Legolas as the defiant, never give in type, and Strider as the calm, yet always hopeful one. I am seriously trying to make my updates more frequent, please bear with me!  
  
TsugumiWolf: Lol, I'm trying to update soon, really I am! Don't cry!  
  
Fire Eagle: Ah, you are so so so kind! Sheesh, I miss sixth grade, lol.  
  
Lulu Bell: You win. That review was 6k in my inbox, the largest one yet. Let's see who can beat that, hm? Das Blume, you up for the challenge? Haha, do you really want to know what other torture I have planned for him? Believe me, there's more. Oh yeah, I know what that feels like. I've been pulling all nighters this whole week. I had five tests on Friday, Five! How unfair is that? I can't handle that much studying! HAPPY belated BIRTHDAY! I love birthdays. Was it fun? Yeah, my parents had that rule for me. Then they realized it was never going to happen, so they let up. Now it doesn't really matter since I don't live with them anymore, lol. My roommates don't care when I go to bed as long as my music isn't too loud. Most of them are up pulling all nighters with me. I'm playing softball in the spring, hopefully. I'm really actually not sure yet. Now I'm just devoting my time to my studies and my horse. And sleeping. I've actually gotten a couple nights of sleep. It was really nice. Did you ever get your project finished?  
  
Force of Hobbit: Third person to ask what that meant. Did this chapter answer it for you? Aw, I am so honoured that you would go to all of that trouble just to read a chapter of mine! They like me, they really like me! (Sorry, it's been a LONG week.) I love novels, thanks! Also, thanks for adding me to your favourite stories list!  
  
Das Blume: Jeez, I have two really long reviews from you to answer. I could be here forever. Anyone notice that my author's notes are getting as long as the chapter? I know you didn't mean it, but I'm counting that as a "poor Legolas." Lol. Yeah, I figured out that it needed two more w's. FF.net has a weird thing about letters like that. Oh my, I started cracking up when I saw the picture. I love how all of the riders are looking at each other, and how Aragorn and Gimli don't even notice, like they are used to it. I swear, I was laughing so much, I was crying. I emailed it to my mom, with the story behind it, and she was cracking up too! I absolutely love it, lol. Yeah, I know. He poll hasn't been updated in a while. I guess they all pretty much covered the possible outcomes. Jalapa. . . hahah. Oh, stop laughing, I need to breath now. Thanks for that review. Now on to the next! 2. I didn't see Revolutions. I liked the first one, but I just never made it to see the following two. ::BIG HUGGLES:: There, feel better? Oh yes, I agree that was a very serious review. ::snort:: Just for you I will go change my bio. Check it out later, okies? Uhm, they have nothing in common with each other, really, but at least I have two options for which way to take my career, right? Let em think about the authors, but I recommend Tolstoy, definitely. He's Russian. Incredible writer, A bit more difficult to follow than Tolkien, but totally worth it.  
  
Dimostiel: I like your sarcasm too. No, I thought I killed Bob in my bathtub. . . maybe Bob has siblings! 600 of them! Ew, I hate spiders.  
  
Hellmarie: Hey, I never said I wasn't evil, lol. Well, he doesn't know that he might die. He just knows his body hurts.  
  
Note in general: Somebody asked me if they could ask where I live. . . I feel horrible, but I can't find that review anywhere! If that was you, I am so sorry, please write me again. It's not even in the reviews on FF.net. 


	11. Saviors

Hey! Look! ::Gasp:: Is this a quick update? IT IS! (Well, comparatively. What more do you want? Lol.)  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~  
  
"Is this to be a public event?" Aragorn hissed to Berin. His hands were tied securely behind his back, fastening him to a large, wooden pole. He stood on a pile of hay and sticks in a cart that was rolling down the main street. Legolas was held much in the same fashion in the cart ahead of him. The meaning was all too clear: they were to be burnt at the stake.  
  
"It keeps the people here happy."  
  
Aragorn shot him a quizzical look.  
  
"People are ignorant, Strider. They'll feel better as long as someone is punished."  
  
Aragorn sighed, fixing his eyes on his friend ahead of him.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~  
  
Legolas was fighting hard to stay conscious. He was in such great pain, and his vision was hazy at best. He felt incredibly lightheaded. And he was scared. He could not help but admit that factor to himself. He searched for anything to focus on. His eyes landed on three hooded figures in the crowd of commoners. There was something about their presence that frightened him even more. Suddenly, all his fear was funneled into focus around these three characters. It began raining, lightly at first and then the heavens opened up. Legolas did not mind it; he barely noticed it. He watched the three figures intently. It was so very dark, but they stood out like a flame in the blackest of nights.  
  
Aragorn called out to Legolas in elvish. His friend wasn't moving, and it worried him. He looked strange. possessed, almost. He received no response.  
  
He cursed the sun, and the dreadful heat that it brought. "Legolas!" The elf was staring very intently into the crowd. Aragorn followed his gaze, but saw nothing to warrant the glare.  
  
The elf shivered in the cold rain, focusing intently on the mysterious figures in the crowd. The rain plastered his hair down as it continued to pelt him. His head began swimming.  
  
The figures raised long hands to their hoods, and pulled them down in one fluid, yet painfully slow motion. Legolas cried out, fighting his bonds to move away, as far away from them as he could. Mar held him in place.  
  
"Let me help him! He will surely hurt himself!" Aragorn was frantic, worried sick about his friend. He looked into the crowd: there was nothing to be seen but the jeering men. "Legolas!" What was happening? His friend suddenly fell limp, held only by the bonds that secured him to the post.  
  
The carts stopped suddenly in the crossways of two streets. This was it, Aragorn thought, this was how it would end.  
  
The human sighed. Legolas was already dying. Would he even feel the fire as it tore his life from him? Aragorn wanted to cry. They had put Legolas in such a state of helplessness. . . he wanted to swear vengeance, but he knew he would never get the chance.  
  
Jeralin opened the end of the cart, walking towards the elf. Strider struggled against his bonds. The man somehow pulled Legolas from the oblivion he was sinking into. "Tell me where Mithfalas is, elf."  
  
Legolas pushed himself as far as he could into the world of the living. "I don't know."  
  
Oh, by the Valar, he had the Halls of Mandos within his sight. He closed his eyes for just long enough. . .  
  
"You do know where he is! I will give you one more chance to tell us!"  
  
"I do not know!"  
  
"You had your chance, elf. Light the fire under the human."  
  
Legolas panicked. "No! Stop! Do not hurt him!"  
  
"Tell us where Mithfalas is, and we will not touch him."  
  
'Think of something, quick. Don't say Lorien. Don't give him away. Quick! Make something up.'  
  
"Time is runnin-" The man fell at Legolas' feet, a slender arrow protruding from his shoulder.  
  
Legolas looked up. The three men from his past were running towards him, with weapons drawn. He passed out again, of his own will. He didn't want to have anything to do with this.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~  
  
Aragorn would have jumped for joy if he could. He recognized one of the figures coming towards them. "Minastir! Oh, thank the Valar, I thought this was really the end."  
  
"Telemnar, Dar, help Legolas," Minastir motioned to the other two elves. He turned to the human. "We thought we were going to be too late."  
  
"You might be for Legolas. How did you know?"  
  
"The king said he would be here, but we didn't know how to get here."  
  
"And?"  
  
"So we went to Lorien first, and Mithfalas told us. Do you know who that is?"  
  
Aragorn laughed. The irony of the situation was driving him crazy. "I do."  
  
"Minastir! Help!"  
  
The elf and the newly freed man turned quickly to see a mob pushing in around Legolas' cart. Several of them had torches. The other two elves had arrows ready, but wanted to avoid civilian casualties if possible. They knew that none of these people meant harm, they were just used to doing this.  
  
"Stay back, human!" Minastir yelled at Aragorn. The man was too weak to be of any help to them. He pushed his way through the crowd to help Legolas.  
  
He stopped dead when he realized that the mob wasn't their only problem. Mar had a torch lit, and had already set it to the hay underneath the prince.  
  
"Dar! Dago han! Dago han!"  
  
Aldarion spun around, firing his arrow straight and true. It never reached its target, however. Mar had vanished.  
  
Aldarion had no time to marvel at this; the mob was pulling at the elves now, ripping their weapons from them. Legolas was fast approaching a fiery end.  
  
Aragorn ran forward. If he pretended to be part of them, the mob wouldn't even recognize him. An ideal at the hands of a mass was a dangerous thing. He shouted angrily, doing his best not to hurt any of them until he got closer. He needed to get to Legolas.  
  
He heard broken elvish coming from their three saviors. They were in pain, and they were angry. He was torn with what to do now. He had a sinking feeling that, either way, someone was not getting out of this alive.  
  
He punched the nearest man in the face and wrenched the torch from his grip. A sudden, dry wind nearly extinguished it. He then pushed his way towards Aldarion. "Get back!" He growled. "Get back! Leave them be!" It was amazing how people backed down when the threat of pain was involved. "Leave those two alone!" Minastir and Telemnar were pushed towards him. "Give them back their weapons."  
  
No one moved.  
  
"Go, Strider, help Legolas. We'll deal with this."  
  
Aragorn raised a cynical eyebrow at Telemnar, but wasting no time in getting to his friend's side. He fumbled with the knots, panicking at the heat he felt. The fire was so close.  
  
"It's so hot, Strider."  
  
Aragorn realized that Legolas was fully aware of what was happening. He had not been able to flee to unconsciousness as Aragorn had thought. "I know, Legolas. I know. I'll get you out of here, just please, please, can you stay awake for me?"  
  
"No, Strider. Just go, I'm going to go to sleep, and I'm not ever going to wake up again."  
  
The man ignored the tears in his eyes. "Don't talk like that. You will make it out of this alive. I will not let you die."  
  
Aragorn sighed with relief as the ropes parted. He caught his friend before he fell into the flames.  
  
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Once outside of the town, and well within the surrounding forest, Telemnar turned and quickly took the prince from Aragorn's arms before the human could protest. He deftly leapt into the nearest tree, and the other two elves followed.  
  
"Hey, that's not fair, you guys. I can't even reach the first branch."  
  
"Guess that's your problem, isn't it?"  
  
"Telemnar, be nice. This is his friend."  
  
It was a voice the ranger did not recognize. It continued to speak. "You can reach it, Estel. Trust me."  
  
He resisted the urge to ask who he was trusting, but instead reached again for the branch. It seemed to almost lower for him. Then, elves did have a way with the trees, so it didn't surprise him.  
  
When he finally settled on a branch close to the elves, the unknown one smiled at him. "Welcome, Estel. I am Mithfalas."  
  
Aragorn's mouth gaped. "You did come to save him!"  
  
"I see my reputation precedes me. I am glad to meet you. But if you don't mind, we need to get Legolas to Lady Galadriel."  
  
Aragorn could say nothing. He had so many emotions racing around in his veins that he would not have been able to speak even if he had wanted to. He simply nodded, and lowered himself to the ground, where Mithfalas lowered Legolas into his arms.  
  
Telemnar spoke. "Do you think an elf should carry him? Surly he human, will slow us down, especially with a burden."  
  
Mithfalas looked at Aragorn, whose eyes were shamefully on the ground. "Nay, he will keep up. I can tell."  
  
The ranger had no recollection of what happened after that. He was so worried, and in such a hurry, that he let the other three elves lead. In truth, he was also a little hurt by Telemnar's attitude towards him. Legolas meant more to him than worrying about the other elf though.  
  
And Mithfalas was there! Until now, Aragorn could have been convinced that the other elf was nothing but a legend. Legolas groaned.  
  
"Don't leave me, Legolas. Dartho, mellon. Please." He went in and out of elvish, talking to Legolas. Nothing seemed to help. The prince was burning with a fever, and coughing in his sleep. The wind had been blowing the smoke right into his lungs. Valor only knew what the poison was doing to him.  
  
Tangled words kept up in a steady stream. None of it made sense, but it at least meant Legolas was still holding on to something in this world.  
  
"It will take another day at least to get there, Strider." Aldarion spoke quietly, watching how his prince and his friend was slowing giving in.  
  
He wouldn't last it.  
  
It was the one simple phrase that they all were thinking, but no one dared to say it. Once it was said, out in the open, it became a real possibility. At least, in their minds, it was only a thought.  
  
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Reviewers: (Holy monkeys, this is going to take me forever!)  
  
Haha, I take it none of you like Mar anymore, huh? Sheesh, I should have counted how many of you said Damn. There were a lot.  
  
SPEoD: Actually, stupid is far from it. . . but alas, that is a different tale. Yes, Fal is alive. Are you kidding? I wouldn't write in a dead character. Of course, that isn't to say that he won't die at some point. Hey, congrats! I like the long stirrup classes myself, but I show in short stirrup too. A first and two thirds, nicely done. I managed two firsts and two thirds and my last show. Of course it was a schooling show, but hey, it still counts! Lol, do you call him Mr. Ed? I would. But then, not many people nowadays have even seen that show. Anyway, I'll talk to ya next chapter!  
  
Legolas_gurl: Ah, thanks so much!  
  
TsugumiWolf: Thank you! But please don't die. I hate when my readers die, lol.  
  
F h c: Avtually, it was chapter nine because the author's note doesn't count as a chapter. This is chapter ten. Haha, Legolas' theme should be the X-Files theme: Trust No One.  
  
Elainor: Yep, he was, and so far no one seems happy about it. Uhm. . . well, Thrandy's reason for not being there will be explained shortly, I promise.  
  
Gwyn: Yeah, me too. Like in Harry Potter. I hated the fifth book. He was my favourite character, man! I chuckled when I saw "Fish Poop," but then realized that I say "Holy Monkeys," so I really couldn't justify chuckling. No, they're the ones who have the rain clouds following them. But that wouldn't make for a very interesting read if they always stayed out of trouble, now would it? Haha, hey, I didn't say Fal would die. But then, I didn't say he wouldn't either. OH! The muse just hit me with the idea stick! Thank you! ! ! !  
  
ForceofHobbit: Because they're Aragorn and Legolas. . . lol. There's a line in an upcoming chapter that I think you'll like.  
  
Angel With No Wings: Another Mar hater. I will explain Fal's exile more in detail, later this story. No worries. He'll get a little bit of happy time. When I'm done with him. ::cackles::  
  
Leggylover03: Poor Estel is coming. This story is mostly Legolas time, but from here on out, it's pretty well spilt up. Uhm, Elrond. . . is not there at the moment. Lol.  
  
Hellmarie: Wow, I'm gonna be evil for a while, methinks.  
  
Lizzie: Fal's exile will be explained, lol, hint taken. Lol, Aragorn is still naïve, he will learn eventually.  
  
Coolio02: Ah, the muse hit me again! I love my reviewers, they give me all these ideas and they don't even know it! Thanks! Anyway, uhm, Mar kind of sucks, doesn't he?  
  
Louise_oblique: Poor guy, just can't get a break, can he? I know, I'm getting kind of hooked on Fal. . . lol, and I wrote him! Thank you so much for the kind review!  
  
Nenya: Oh jeez, I know. High school was hell with fluorescent lighting when it came to work load. I went to a college preparatory school, and let me tell you about homework and tests. I think they forgot that it was college PREP and not college. Wow, I'm getting the impression that you have multiple personalities. First you were all against Legolas and stuff, and now it's like, Oh yeah, he's cool. (Lol, I like this personality better ::big grin::) Oh I know, he always looks really stupid with the sword dropping thing. Lol. Yay! I got a wow! Yes, definitely write a fic. I'll come read it. And hey, Legolas hasn't died yet. Seems to me he came closer to death by flame than drugs, huh?  
  
Nikki: Lol, well, no one said Mar was a nice guy. Thanks for the food! ::big hugs to one of my most faithful reviewers::  
  
Lulu Bell: That was the longest review I have ever seen. I think you win, hands down. Do you know how big that was? 9k, man! Holy monkeys! So here's my ever larger reply: I've never gotten a detention in my life. I did get sent out of class once. That was fun, lol, but no detentions. I'm a good girl. Wow, you're a huge soccer fan, aren't you? Lol, I don't really follow soccer, except I like David Beckham. (Is that how his name is spelled?) Anyway, he's cool. I couldn't tell you what team he plays on for the life of me, except that it's in England. I dunno, you do have to change grips, but I usually just adapt. I don't play softball as intenseley as I do volleyball and horseback riding, but yeah, it's kind of odd. Reins/bat/cue. I can see why she can't play softball. I have that talking and can't shut up problem too! All the time. Oh, Mar has a huge role to play. We have not seen the last of him yet, (as is evident from this chapter.) Oh, hun, I live off of cokes and coffee during exams. I drink nothing else. Lol, thank you for that amazingly long review. I am in awe! ::Applauds:: And nope, just five poor leggy's. And you didn't even give me one!  
  
Das Blume: Ah! Shame on you! Don't waste cookies! (Sorry, I have a huge sweet tooth.) Although I suppose your wasting them is my fault, isn't it? No, he didn't run away. He was exiled. But it will be explained further, no worries. I swear I didn't steal the plot from anywhere. I thought it up all by me onesies. No, I'm serious, my mom that it was hilarious! I loved it. Haha, dear, no, that was one of the largest reviews you've given me. 4k. And no worries, Lulu Bell sent me one that was 9k, so 4k doesn't seem all that big anymore, lol. ::hands over a student planner:: There! Thanks for reviewing! 


	12. You said that you could save him!

Happy Day After Thanksgiving Day! Hope your holiday was good!  
  
Just a warning, I got the idea for this chapter from another story I read, not plagiarism, just using the idea along a completely different plot line. But my warning is that it is very AU, and I know that only Glorifindel (sp?) managed the feat that you are about to read. . . but that's why I write fanfiction. Otherwise, I would have something of my own published, savvy? Please don't hate me. I did do my research.  
  
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"We're here."  
  
Aldarion had no response from the young man, who refused to let anyone else carry the prince. "Strider?"  
  
"He's not talking anymore."  
  
Aldarion put a hand on the man's shoulder. He knew what that meant. "Come, perhaps there is still something that can be done."  
  
Mithfalas sighed. "Continue on, you shall see Lord Thranduil and Lord Elrond in a clearing straight ahead. This is where I leave you." He looked directly at Aragorn. "Take care of him, Estel."  
  
Aragorn nodded.  
  
"Fal-" Minastir started, but stopped himself. The other elf turned.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Nothing, I'm sorry. It's just, it was good to see you again. I, we've missed you."  
  
Mithfalas smiled. "Thanks. Oh, and Estel? Do not mention that I was with you. No one must know."  
  
Creasing his brow, Aragorn nodded, but did not ask any of the questions assaulting his mind.  
  
Mithfalas disappeared into the distance. Telemnar looked at Aragorn, who was so tired he was ready to drop where he was. "If he dies, human-"  
  
"Then what? What are you going to do?"  
  
"I'll take avenge his death on the stupid human that let him die!"  
  
Aldarion stepped forward. "Guys, please, let's not start this, Legolas needs help."  
  
"You know what? I am I'm sick of you putting me down just because I'm human! Being tall and having pointy ears doesn't make you right, and it sure doesn't make you smart! Your own prince befriended me, so at least give me a chance!"  
  
Telemnar's jaw went slack, but Aragorn did not give him a chance to respond. He turned and started taking Legolas into the forest.  
  
Downhearted, angry, and one fewer in their number, they entered the great elven city. Elrond, Elladan, Elrohir, and Thranduil rushed up to meet them.  
  
"We knew you would come here," Elrond answered his human son's inquisitive glare. "It was the only logical place for you to come."  
  
Thranduil had walked forward, taking his son away from Aragorn. The man was too tired, weak, and confused to protest. The weight having been lifted from his arms, he stumbled and collapsed in the soft ground.  
  
"Oniya, take care of him. We must get Legolas to the Lady," Elrond instructed his sons. He turned to Thranduil. "She will know what to do."  
  
The two elder elves were running now. They could see Haldir in the distance, running to get the Lady of the Wood. The three Mirkwood elves were following them.  
  
Celeborn met the elven lords, directing them on where to take the fallen prince. The prince was finally laid on a table of stone which had long ago been overrun by moss. Galadriel rushed into the small clearing shortly thereafter. "What happened to him?"  
  
Aragorn burst onto the scene, followed by his two brothers. Galadriel turned toward him, and he bowed his head. It felt like the right thing to do.  
  
"Aragorn, son on Arathorn, tell me what happened to Legolas." Aragorn heard the words in his head, and was slightly awed.  
  
He swallowed, choking on his words. He let the entire story fall from his lips, including how it was his fault that Legolas was in this state. "It's bad, isn't it?"  
  
The only response he got was from his father. "Havo dad, Estel. Heca, hannon le."  
  
It went against everything his heart was telling him, but he obeyed, and stayed well out of the way. He tried to watch from a distance, but so many elves had gathered around that he could not see the prince.  
  
"Thranduil, are you sure you want to be here for this?"  
  
The elven lord nodded, not trusting himself to speak. Galadriel nodded. "Then take his hand. He needs something familiar to tie him here." Thranduil obeyed as Galadriel took the prince's other hand.  
  
"If I cannot do it. . ." She let the implications set it before continuing. "It would be better if he died by friendly hands."  
  
Aragorn's heart caught in his throat. This wasn't possible, it wasn't happening. No. No, no, no. If he were too far gone, they would kill him. No!  
  
No one said a word, and so Galadriel nodded. She poured a potion into Legolas' mouth. Aragorn figured it would counteract the poison in him.  
  
The lady sighed. She began muttering incantations, putting her free hand over the prince's forehead.  
  
Aragorn could not say how long he sat there, holding his breath. Hours? It may as well have been days. Finally, Galadriel grew quiet. Aragorn stood, but dared not speak. Minutes passed in a thick silence.  
  
A very low, dangerous voice broke the silence. "You said you would save him."  
  
"Now, Thranduil, I said I would try. You knew I might not be able to. You were supposed to be prepared for this."  
  
"With all due respect, Lady," Elrond broke in, casting at glance at Thranduil, "Legolas had a tendency to charm anyone into his ways. You can't prepare yourself for a death such as his."  
  
Aragorn fell back to his seat. Elrohir looked at him, then left his spot at the circle around the prince. Elladan followed.  
  
"Estel, it's not your fault. Don't go thinking that it is. Legolas had a knack for getting into trouble. We all knew it would do him in one day."  
  
"You don't understand! He was poisoned, and it was wearing off, but I didn't know! I told them to help him, and they gave him more poison. With my permission! I asked for Legolas' death!"  
  
Elrohir took his brother by the shoulders. "Stop it, Aragorn. You didn't know!"  
  
"Save him!" Thranduil's voice grew loud and desperate. "It is not too late, save him! Save him before he enters the halls!"  
  
Galadriel looked at the elf with sympathy in her eyes. She sighed. "I will try. It will be his choice to come back, though."  
  
A vast, empty hall greeted the prince. Mist swirled around his feet. Legolas sat back against the smooth door, hugging his knees to his chest. He knew what going in would mean, and he didn't want to have to accept that. A tear escaped his eye, then he let the rest follow. He hadn't wanted it to end this way. He so wanted to see the Undying Lands. "Nienna!" he cried out in despair. He knew from tales that his father told him that Nienna, one of the Aratar, often visited the Halls of Mandos to turn sadness to wisdom. He needed that now, so much.  
  
"Nienna! I beg thee, help me!" He was sobbing now so that his whole frame shook.  
  
"Be quite, young one. Do not despair."  
  
"Nienna?" The prince's head shot up. However, he did not see Nienna in front of him. "Lady Galadriel?"  
  
The Lady smiled. "It is I."  
  
"But, are you. . . dead?"  
  
She laughed lightly. "No, indeed. But you, my boy, you are another story."  
  
Legolas let his head fall to his knees again. He did not want her to see his tears.  
  
"Do not shed any more tears, Legolas. I am here to bring you back."  
  
"Can you do that?"  
  
Galadriel knelt to be at his level. "I can. But the true question is, do you want me to?"  
  
"More than anything! I did not want to die!"  
  
"Sh, Legolas. Think about it. You will never have to experience pain, loss, death, war, or despair, any of it. Never again. You shall be in paradise."  
  
"No, milady. Paradise is the Undying Lands."  
  
"You will never feel pain. Legolas, if I take you back, you will feel all the pain that your body is experiencing. And of the other things you will never have to experience again?"  
  
"Nor will I get to experience earthly love, peace, or joy. I want to go back, milady, if you would but do that for me."  
  
"As you wish, Legolas."  
  
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Celeborn sighed as another hour passed by. "I don't think she convinced him, Thranduil. Or she was too late."  
  
"We shall not know until she returns," Elrond interjected pointedly, watching Galadriel's unmoving body.  
  
By now, the twins, Aragorn, and the three Mirkwood elves were circled together, begging the Valar to have mercy on Legolas' soul.  
  
Elladan was trying valiantly to hold in his own grief, for the sake of his two brothers. Legolas was a good friend of his, but he knew what the prince meant to his brothers. And to Arwen.  
  
"Lady!" Elrond's voice was slightly relieved as the Lady of the Wood stirred. Everyone looked at her, then at the still body of Legolas.  
  
"Well?" Thranduil demanded.  
  
"Have patience, my lord. He follows."  
  
Elladan stood up, followed by Telmnar, Aldarion, and Minastir. Elrohir grasped Aragorn's hand tighter. The two brothers pressed their foreheads together, eyes closed, praying for the best.  
  
There was a loud cry of pain that sounded beautifully familiar to Aragorn. He and Elrohir finally stood.  
  
Legolas was gasping for air. He knew to expect this: the full rush of pain on his body, but he hadn't remembered it being so unbearable.  
  
Thranduil laid a hand on his son's chest. He looked at Galadriel. "Hannon le."  
  
"Thank him. He chose to come back."  
  
"Legolas," Thranduil wept joyfully at the return of his son.  
  
"Come, let us go have some wine, and let the boy recover before we overwhelm him."  
  
The large group reluctantly left the clearing, all except Aragorn. He waited until he was left alone, then walked slowly to Legolas.  
  
"Are you okay?" It was the stupidest question he could have asked. His friend just returned from the dead, and all he could think of was, 'how are you?'  
  
"I don't remember being in this much pain."  
  
"You weren't. You were drugged for most of it. I thought we decided on not making a habit out of this."  
  
Legolas laughed, despite the pain in his lungs. "You know, it wasn't something I meant to do. To do: get captured by men? Check. Be a slave? Check. Twice, actually. Die? Check."  
  
"See, now you're being sarcastic. You don't have to be."  
  
"When are you going to realize that this is me, and when are you going to stop telling me that?"  
  
Aragorn shrugged. "Probably never. It's become habit now."  
  
"It has become one of those small things in life that you take for granted. I can always count on you to tell me I should not be so sarcastic. It's comforting almost."  
  
"I would imagine, right now, that anything is comforting."  
  
Legolas nodded. "At least I know where you'll be when you finally go."  
  
"Finally, what, are you waiting for it?"  
  
"With a growing dread, now that I know what it's like." Legolas sobered the jest.  
  
"I'm so glad you're alive."  
  
"Oh, good. I am too. Besides, I figure you'll stick me in another situation where I'll have to make that choice to come back again, and I would gladly do it."  
  
"Now, now, Legolas. Don't think I'm going to come get you every time you do that. It is quite an exhausting endeavor. Besides, I don't think Mandos would appreciate it very much."  
  
The two friends turned at the sound of Galadriel's voice. She smiled at them. "Come, Aragorn. Let us leave Legolas so he can rest."  
  
"Wait, Lady," Legolas stopped the retreat of Galadriel and his friend.  
  
"Yes, Legolas?"  
  
"Is my brother here?"  
  
"No, I'm sorry. He left just after your friends came to ask him where to find you. He wanted to go with them. He wanted to help save you, but it was too dangerous for him."  
  
Aragorn looked a the Lady, but Galadriel silently warned him not to speak up.  
  
The statement brought so many questions to Legolas' mind. He opened his mouth, but could not think of what to ask. "M-my friends?" he finally spat out.  
  
Aragorn laughed. "Oh, you missed so much due to that drug. I'll explain it after you rest and I eat. I haven't had a proper meal in nearly a month."  
  
Galadriel smiled at the elf. "I would offer you some food, but." she trailed off, and Legolas finished for her.  
  
"I couldn't eat it, not just yet."  
  
"We will worry about healing you after you rest." She paused. "You are saddened, Legolas. Do you regret your decision?"  
  
"No, milady," Legolas said quietly, before he fell into a deep sleep. Aragorn would have bet that Galadriel initiated it, but it didn't matter at this point.  
  
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Reviewers:  
  
This chapter was for everyone one of you that thought I would never kill Legolas. Just goes to show, don't be so sure of yourself. I might leave him dead next time. So do we hate me for the AUyness, or am I okay to keep writing?  
  
Apparently, Mithfalas has everyone's approval of being ultra-cool. Good, I like him too. Shame though, knowing what's gonna happen to him. . . ::laughs::  
  
I hope the AU factor wasn't too bizarre. Sorry if it was, but that's about as AU as any of my stories will ever get. Well. . . except for one, but I wrote that just for fun. Anyway, you'll see. Right, review responses.  
  
Translator: Havo dad, Estel. Heca, hannon le: Have a seat, Estel. Stand aside, thank you.  
  
Hannon le: Thank you  
  
Angel With No Wings: Hey, at least my cliffhangers aren't as bad as my last story. I think I had one chapter that wasn't a cliffhanger, lol. Uhm, well, this update was relatively quick, no? But alas, school starts again soon, so I may go back to my one every week and a half updates. I'm trying to make them all quick, though. Thanks!  
  
SPEoD: See, no one anymore has seen Mr. Ed! Oh well, I just feel old. I was little when Mr. Ed was on though, so I may as well have not seen it for as much as I remember. My last show was a schooling show, and I haven't showed recently because of my horse retiring. The last show was about a month ago, and that wasn't even my horse. I did not say that I was definitely going to kill off Fal. I'm curious now, so I'm gonna go check out Captives of Isengard. It sounds familiar, but I couldn't tell you anything else about it, so I am assuming I haven't read it.  
  
Lulu Bell: 7k, man. Not your biggest, but still huge! Yeah, the hooded figures were my bad. Legolas was supposed to see them as Tarduain, Oropher, and Mithnien, but I think I forgot to write that in. Sorry about that. I've hinted at why Mithfalas was exiled, but I haven't actually come out and told you yet. You'll find out soon. Okay, this is bad, considering that I am the author, but what caves are we talking about? Oh, I get it, the ones they work in, got it. Uhm, remember in one of the flashback Fal told Legolas that he knew of a little town of men close to Mirkwood? And then later we found out that he lived there once, before it went to the dogs. So that explains that. (I hope.) He didn't know to come that day specifically. That was kind of a, just in the nick of time bit. I have a demented mind, that's how I come up with this stuff, lol. I ride English. Dressage, actually. I compete in Hunter Jumper sometimes as well. I actually learned Western first, but I didn't like it as much. It's not as refined, and you're not as close to the horse. (Just my opinion.) I used to hate coffee when I was little. Then I would only drink frappachinos, (sp?) but now I'll drink anything. It's an acquired taste really. Oh yeah, I drink coke. I'm addicted, I think. But yeah, motorcycle riders use it to clean the rust off of their bikes. You can make pennies really shiny with it. It will eat through and egg shell. Makes me wonder what it's doing to my intestines. How was your Thanksgiving? Mine was good. I went down to visit my parents, and from there we went up to my Grandma's house. My aunt and her husband came over. It was pretty nice. Your reviews are never boring! I love them! Long never bothers me. Mar will come back (  
  
Lizzie: Lol, you're one of the few that even mentioned Telemnar's attitude. That's a fun story line. . . but, uhm, I've said too much.  
  
HalandLeg4ever: Thank you! Well where would the suspense be if it was only five more minutes to get there? Lol.  
  
Hellmarie: Haha, I love everyone asking if they can expect more quick updates. Please refer to my answer to Angle With No Wings for that answer. Lol, which him don't you want me to kill? Fal or Leggy? One of those won't die. I can't guarantee that the other won't, though.  
  
Louise_oblique: Hm, see, Mithfalas can't really let his father know that he's there. . . but we'll get into that. Thanks for the great review! (We will see more of Fal, don't worry.) ::Big hugs back::  
  
Sara: Oh yeah, school. I've been there too. Eh. I hated PT. I had a pretty bad back injury (still do, rather,) and went to PT for it and they only made it worse. Anyway, good luck with yours!  
  
Gwyn: Wow, a lot of people have damned me. It's kind of fun! (I'm tired, okay?) Haha, I like that. Fish poop. I'm gonna use that. Thanks! I never said that Fal was definitely going to die. I won't give away that part of my plot. ::evil laughter::  
  
Nikki: Thank goodness it was precooked, because if you gave me raw turkey, I'd be worried. Thanks for the review! (PS. Food is a good way to get me writing!)  
  
Nenya: Lol, ask and ye shall receive. Look where we got to see this chapter! Even though he left us this chapter, we will see Fal again, I promise. I am always in my I-Love-Legolas stage. Lol, that never goes away. Thank you!  
  
Coolio02: Ah, thank you! Actually, it's more like, "That incredibly intelligent Mar escaped." Ah, but again I give away things in my story. We shall see what happened to him.  
  
WeasleyTwinsLover1112: Did you pick out that number, or are there a lot of Weasley Twins lovers? I'm one too, to tell the truth. Anyway, after that nice little sidetrack, thanks for the great review! I love Fal. Apparently, so does everyone else, and we've only seen a little tiny bit of him. Hope the update was quick enough!  
  
F h c: So, first question, how did you do on your exam(s)? I try not to put the dictionary thingy at the bottom. I personally find it really annoying when I have to scroll down to figure out what it means, then scroll back up and keep reading. But I will add one for you. You can usually figure out what my stuff means though. I try to make it evident by context, or else I say it in English too. Like last chapter when Aragorn was saying Lasto beth nin, the very next thing he said was Listen to my voice, which is what Last beth nin means. Or else, like in this chapter, when Elrond says Heca, havo dad, Aragorn is mentioned to obey and "stay out of the way." Which isn't literal, but the elvish means "Stand aside, have a seat." Basically the same thing. Wow, does any of that make sense? Anyway, I put the dictionary at the top for ya.  
  
Das Blume: So who is your stupid idealist that you're reading? Ah, yay, someone worked a miracle so that I could have a review! I feel so loved! ::big smiles and hugs:: Minastir is from Family Ties. He was the elf that went away from the guards and convinced them that they needed to serve Legolas instead of the grandfather. Remember now? Hm, should I count that as a poor Legolas? You did work awfully hard not to say it, so that I knew what it was you were trying not to say. Haha, yeah, Telemnar's not very friendly. . . I see why he answered Aragorn's, "What about me?" You know, I was going to say, "What other Bob would there be?" But then I read a review from someone else, and they mentioned Bob, and now I'm thinking I confused reviewers when mentioning Bob. . . and. . . I must have been really tired. But yes, it was Bob the Mirkwood Spider, though I now no longer know who first mentioned him. Shame on me. Lol, I will go check out the update! Yay!  
  
ForceofHobbit: Haha, I just flashed on, "May the force be with you!" And little Frodo kissing Princess Liegha (I cannot spell for beans tonight!) Anyway, what about the stupid human hating elves? (Telemnar, mainly, but then, there is the entire population of Mirkwood minus the prince that doesn't care for them. Poor Aragorn.) I know, it's so cute how Mithfalas still protects him even though he's never allowed in Mirkwood again. Ah, I almost feel bad for him. Shoot, I completely forgot what the line was, grr, I hate when that happens. I think it was in this chapter when Legolas goes through his to do list.  
  
Dimostiel: Same here. Too many Bobs and Bob Juniors. ::shivers:: Thanks!  
  
Elainor: Ah, your reviews are so flattering! Thank you! Yeah, Legolas was looking kind of bad there for a while. Thank you a million for your ever so kind reviews! 


	13. Another Reunion

Here we are, back to normal non AUyness. Thank you for not trying to kill me for that.  
  
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Legolas woke sometime later. The elf sitting next to him watched him stir, then turn her head so they locked eyes.  
  
"Arwen."  
  
"How are you?"  
  
"I'm great. Well, great isn't really the word for it. It is no matter. How are you?"  
  
"I haven't seen you in so long."  
  
Legolas smiled. "I can truly say I've walked to the end of the earth to see you again."  
  
Arwen smiled a sweet, melancholy smile. "If you lost your love for me, Legolas, you never let it show."  
  
"Arwen?"  
  
"It's just an observation, Legolas. Don't make anything out of it."  
  
Legolas shook his head. How could stop himself from making something out of her words? "What do you want me to do, Arwen? Are you still in love with me?"  
  
"Arwen!" Elladan run up to her, sweeping her into an embrace and interrupting her response.  
  
"Dan! How have you been?"  
  
Legolas watched the exchange sadly. He knew what she would have said: no. "That's all right," he whispered, "because at least I am still in love with you."  
  
"Legolas, how are you feeling?"  
  
The prince tried to focus his eyes on Elladan, but he seemed suddenly hazy.  
  
"Legolas?"  
  
The elf's voice seemed so far away.  
  
"Arwen, go get Galadriel! He's leaving us again."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~  
  
Legolas' vision slowly focused again as he awoke with a blinding headache. "Oooh, not you."  
  
"Yeah, I'm glad to see you again too," Aragorn answered his friend's groan, removing the cool cloth that had been on Legolas' forehead.  
  
"I was hoping you would be a beautiful elf maiden in swimming wear."  
  
Legolas heard laughter from somewhere behind Aragorn. Lady Galadriel came into view, smiling at the elf.  
  
"Oh, milady, I am so sorry, I didn't know you were there."  
  
Aragorn mouth a "ha ha," at his friend.  
  
"You, son of Thranduil, have to learn how not to scare us."  
  
"I'm sorry, milady?"  
  
"You lost consciousness rather unexpectedly. I had hoped the poison was gone, but I suppose they gave you more than I originally thought. How do you feel?"  
  
"You shouldn't ask him that, Lady."  
  
Legolas rolled his eyes at Aragorn as he replied, "I am fine."  
  
"Hmm," Galadriel raised an eyebrow. "Indeed."  
  
"I told you that you should not have asked him."  
  
Galadriel nodded slowly. "Everyone leave. I must tend to the prince. Go, be gone with you!"  
  
Slowly, everyone moved out of the clearing. "Be honest with me, young one. How do you feel?"  
  
Legolas' first reaction was to assure her that he was fine, but he thought better of it. "I have a headache. And I feel sick."  
  
"Yes, I can see why."  
  
"Lady, how long was I asleep?"  
  
Galadriel smiled down at him. "Four hours."  
  
Legolas groaned. "Why is it always me?"  
  
"Because you tend to drift towards darkness quite often."  
  
"It's a habit I'm trying to break." He suddenly felt very comfortable and relaxed with Galadriel. His body lost its tension, and his speech was not as formal.  
  
"I wouldn't count on breaking it as long as you're friends with Aragorn."  
  
"You have the gift of sight, Lady. Please tell me, will he die prematurely?"  
  
"No, indeed. He has a large prophecy to fulfill. And you, young prince, will help him fulfill it."  
  
"Only by keeping him alive."  
  
Galadriel smiled again. "Isn't that the most important part? But, in the meantime, let's work on keeping you alive. I need you to drink some water."  
  
Legolas grinned. "What, my father's wine wouldn't help?"  
  
A small laugh escaped the woman's lips. "Maybe with the pain, certainly not with the poison."  
  
"You know," Legolas said, more to himself, as he took the water flask, "I had kind of hoped that when I came back, my body would be renewed, and. . ." he trailed off, seeing the amusement on Galadriel's face. "No, huh?"  
  
"No. Just because you died, doesn't mean your body disposed of the toxins in it. You only wish it had. Drink the water."  
  
Legolas looked at the flask. He knew what would happen if he drank it, but he couldn't refuse the Lady. He took a sip, and immediately rolled onto his side, coughing.  
  
"Just keep trying to drink, Legolas. The only way for the poison to get out is to get fluids in." She left him alone in the clearing.  
  
He sat there for a long time, staring at the water flask. Had it been a living being, he surely would have been arguing with it. He finally took another, very small sip.  
  
It burned strangely as it passed over is dry throat, but he managed to keep it down. He continued this for the better part of three hours, until all the water was gone.  
  
"I should have never brought Strider to Mirkwood."  
  
"And if you hadn't, who would have saved you?"  
  
Legolas jumped, rising with lightning speed to his feet. He turned to face the person who spoke to him. His mouth gaped, but he could form no words.  
  
"I'm sorry, I had to see you."  
  
Anger, anxiety, and joy raced through his veins. "Mithfalas."  
  
The elf smiled deeply. "Yes. Does this bother you?"  
  
"Bother me?!" Legolas started. He had centuries of misdirected anger he needed to let out. "What would bother me? That you left me, when you could have gone to trial and maybe have had a chance of staying? That the first I hear of you since then is in a letter from Arwen, which wasn't even addressed to me? No, it doesn't bother me at all."  
  
Mithfalas had let his head drop. "Legolas, please don't hate me. I understand why you do, but please, just. . . I had to see you. Do you realize that after this meeting, you and I will never see each other again in all likelihood?"  
  
"I needed you."  
  
Mithfalas looked back into his younger brother's eyes. "I am so sorry, Legolas. I am so sorry."  
  
"Apologies are of little use."  
  
"I didn't mean to leave you. Understand, Legolas, that if I had chosen a trial, I still would have lost. Ada wanted me gone, and no legal system, that he headed, was going to change that. I didn't want to leave you, but I could not take you with me."  
  
Legolas shook his head. "For so long I blamed you." He paused, considering his next words. "Father does not allow your name to be spoken of within the castle. Do you know what that's like? You never even tried to contact me."  
  
Mithfalas looked startled. "I did. I sent you letters at least three times a year. Every year."  
  
"I never got them," he started to accuse his brother of lying, when it dawned on him that he had seen his father's servants with evening fires every so often. Fires that he hadn't started Mithfalas had left. "Oh no. You did." He thought harder. "You wrote me a lot."  
  
"I didn't expect you to get them. But I hoped." Mithfalas smiled. "Did you ever fight back?"  
  
The prince again shook his head. "I never had to."  
  
"He never did anything to you again?"  
  
Legolas laughed lightly. "No, Fal. Ada isn't like that. It happened once, and if he had not been inebriated, even that would not have happened."  
  
Mithfalas nodded. "Can we just talk? You were still in adolescence the last I saw you. And now look at you."  
  
"You were in adolescence too."  
  
The older elf laughed. "True, but I was farther along in it than you were."  
  
Legolas smiled. "I would like to just talk."  
  
Mithfalas seated himself near where Legolas was. "Here," Mithfalas said, pulling a water flask from his side and handing it to Legolas. "The Lady said to give it to you."  
  
Legolas rolled his eyes, but refrained from groaning. "So she knew you were still here?"  
  
He looked down, but slowly nodded his head. "I thought it best if you didn't know. I was afraid of what you would say. I was afraid that you would reject me just as Ada had. I could not have handled that. Then, I realized that it was only best for me. It was truly best if I saw you."  
  
"I'm glad you changed your mind," Legolas was slowly uncorking the water flask.  
  
"Where do you want to start?"  
  
"I'm sorry?"  
  
"Filling me in on how much you've grown up."  
  
Legolas thought about the question carefully. "I was engaged to Arwen for a while."  
  
Mithfalas leaned forward. "I know. And you broke the engagement. Why?"  
  
"No, *we* broke the engagement. We just decided it wasn't for the best."  
  
Mithfalas laughed; he couldn't help himself. "You are so blind, Legolas."  
  
He looked at his brother in surprise and a slight bit of anger tinged his next words. "Why do you laugh so?"  
  
"She loves you, and you love her. What wasn't right about that?"  
  
Legolas tried to keep from getting defensive. "We didn't want to ruin our friendship. Marriage would have only destroyed us. We didn't want to risk that."  
  
He again laughed. "When was the last time you talked to her before you came here? And if she hadn't come to you, I bet you wouldn't have sought her here. Don't you see, you did ruin your friendship, because it was meant to be so much more than that. Love isn't something you can control, Legolas. It's a fire within your blood, and you've only to allow it to run through your veins. She misses you, Legolas. And she loves you. Go talk to her."  
  
"And leave you so soon? No, that's. . ." he trailed off, not meaning the thought in his head. 'That's your job.'  
  
"What, Legolas? That's what?"  
  
"That's impossible, after missing you for so long, I dare not leave just yet."  
  
Mithfalas raised a skeptical eyebrow. He knew what Legolas had been thinking. The look in his brother's eyes had said it all. There was a moment of silence.  
  
"I've heard you've had many adventures since my departure."  
  
"Aye, almost all of which involve slavery."  
  
"Indeed? The crown prince of Mirkwood, a slave? Do go on."  
  
Legolas shook his head in amusement. He didn't want to relive his time with Tarduain, but this was his brother. And, for having grown up without him, he felt strangely comfortable with the elf. He took a deep breath, and very slowly started the story of his life.  
  
Mithfalas sat in rapt attention. Guilt pulled at his heart for not having been there. He remembered when Legolas was first born, he had been so happy, so thrilled to share his world with a little brother. He had sworn to himself to protect Legolas at any cost, to keep him ignorant of the evils of the world until Legolas no longer needed him.  
  
Then, in an act of protection, all of that had been torn away from him.  
  
"I'm so sorry, Legolas. I should have been there. I should have prevented each of those encounters." He had been robbed of his innocence far before he should have been.  
  
"You tried, Fal. There was nothing you could do."  
  
"I should have tried harder."  
  
"You did everything you could. Look, the first time Oropher took me, you were there to protect me. Granted, he took you with Father and therefore, you couldn't do anything. That's not your fault. Then, with Ada, you tried, but once again, it was not your fault that you weren't there."  
  
"I should have challenged him."  
  
Legolas laughed. "You are so much like Strider. So incredibly passionate."  
  
"No, Legolas," Mithfalas leaned into his brother, so that their foreheads were almost touching. "I am so much like you."  
  
Legolas pulled back, imperceptibly shaking his head. Still, deep down, he blamed Mithfalas, even though he knew it was wrong. He did not want to be anything like his brother.  
  
Mithfalas' head popped up suddenly. "I have to go."  
  
"Wait, why? Don't go." 'Not again.'  
  
The elder elf looked into his brother's imploring eyes. "Father is coming. He cannot see me with you. Remember, if he ever does anything, you fight him back!"  
  
"But you're not in Mirkwood, he can't-"  
  
"But I am with you! I have to go. Please, if you can ever find it in your heart to do so, forgive me."  
  
Legolas nodded, heartbroken at the fact that his brother was going to be gone again, nothing but a memory shrouded in lies.  
  
"Legolas, the Lady says you will be free to come home in the morning."  
  
Legolas slowly looked away from the bushes where his brother has disappeared. "All right, Ada. I've missed home."  
  
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Reviewers: I really should reply to them as they come instead of doing them all at once. Sheesh, it takes forever.  
  
Leggylover03: I know, I know. It's coming, really, it is.  
  
SPEoD: Lol, Aragorn, confused. . . I could have fun with that thought. Hm, we shall see. I've seen some of Chloe's stories, I just haven't read any of them. And we shall see what I mean about Fal.  
  
Elainor: Technically, I did kill him. . . but he came back, lol.  
  
Bec: It's more AU than I usually like as well. . . it was just needed for further story lines and all that jazz. It is wrapping up, unfortunately chapter 13, the next chapter, is going to be the last. Don't worry about reviewing on time, I know you're still there whether you review or not! It's all good.  
  
Lizzie: Lol, Estel will have important plots based on him eventually, I swear! It's just that Leggy is my favourite character, so it's easier to inflict pain on him. (That just seems so backwards if you think about it.) Telemnar's character is fun to write, that's what I meant by storyline.  
  
Lulu Bell: 9k, man. Wow. You review as you read, don't you? That's cool, that's how I usually do it too. Keep in mind that Telemnar is a Mirkwood elf and they don't tend to like other races very well, including different kinds of elves. But Telemnar is more vocal about his dislike of Aragorn than Minastir or Aldarion. Truthfully, I think Galadriel was always a bit out of it. She wasn't trying to talk him into entering Mandos, she was just trying to tell him what his choices were. She knew how much he was going to hurt when he came back, (sorry, I'm throwing a bit of my philosophy studies in there. There's actually a theory that, compared to Heaven, or whatever you call it, Earth is a type of Hell. In Heaven, the grass is soft and you could fall on a rock and they would be soft and not hurt. Hell itself, the grass would be so sharp it would cut your feet, etc. Earth is kind of in the middle, so after having a little taste of the "Heaven," coming back from the halls of Mandos would seem like Hell. Does that make sense?) Anyway, she wanted him to be sure he knew what he was choosing. He wasn't angry that his friends were there, just surprised. Haha, I love Finding Nemo! "Oh, ES-COP-AY! Funny, it looks just like the word escape." I still have so much Christmas shopping to do. Dear me, and most of it has to be shipped all over the place. I better get a start on that. You are the second person to leave me those quotes. Interesting.  
  
Gwyn: Actually, it was very, very well phrased on my part. Wrap your mind around that one. ::winks::  
  
Fire Eagle: Hey! You're back! You know, it's funny, I prefer to think of Leggy as an only child too. If you read into the books really heavily though, you can pick up certain hints that he wasn't, and was probably the youngest of a few children. I dunno, it's interesting stuff. Anyway, Fal just made my storyline deeper, and the muse kept forcing me to think about him, so poof, he got into my story. Out of curiosity, can you tell why he was exiled?  
  
WeasleyTwinsLover1112: Lol, I get the hint that that was almost a death threat. I've had so many old apartments and houses, I'd never be able to pick one of them as a number. 799, 3, 305, 29233. . . and a million more that I can't remember. What do you do for work? I'm a waitress, but that's just until I finish college.  
  
Nenya: Ah, thank you! ::Blushes:: Hm, yes, the conflict is coming up soon. It was originally in the next story, but the muse came along and whacked me with her stick again. So anyway, it will probably be in the story AFTER next. As you can tell by this chapter, I'm building that up a bit. And hey, Mithfalas and Leggy got to talk this chapter! Ask and ye shall receive. Thanks for the wonderful review!  
  
Dimostiel: Glad they are plotting revenge by you and not over here! See, I did kill Lego. He just came back. The next chapter will be the last one of this story. The beginning was supposed to be kind of rushed and confusing. I mean, Legolas was dying, Aragorn was so tired he was about drop, and he was worried for Legolas like everyone else was. . . it just seems like that type of situation would be chaotic and rushed. Was it too confusing though? I'll work on that, thanks for pointing it out.  
  
Coolio02: Nice way to pick up on foreshadowing. That's all I'm gonna say. Shhh. ::wink:: (Well, and thanks for the nice review!)  
  
Angel With No Wings: Oh jeez, I thought you were serious about hating me. Thank goodness for lightning. Haha, I guess you're just going to have to wait to find out what I meant by "Shame, though. . ." I love being the author. ::big grins::  
  
Hellmarie: Lol, isn't Fal the best? He's so much fun to write! Thanks!  
  
ForceofHobbit: You'll find out what it means. ::Evil smile:: I'm so curious about your déjà vu. That's so weird! I thought you might like that line. Thanks for the ale, always needed.  
  
F h c: Hey! That's a good idea! I'll put it front. I put what it means in the same line or at least in context, because I was trying to avoid it, but oh well. Thanks, I'll put it in front.  
  
Miss Attitude: First of all, I love the name. Thanks for the review! 


	14. You Will Know

Hey guys, this is the last chapter! Be sure to check the bottom for a preview of the next story!  
  
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Legolas was shaking his head at the tale Aragorn was telling him. "Wait, so you're the one who poisoned me?"  
  
Aragorn laughed. "No, no I wasn't. It was Mar."  
  
Legolas raised an eyebrow. "But you told him to."  
  
"You know, Legolas, I felt guilty enough about it. You don't have to rub it in."  
  
"Okay, so we're both on our way to be hanged-"  
  
"Burnt at the stake, actually."  
  
"Okay, we're on our way to be burnt. Then what happened?"  
  
"Then, well," Aragorn hesitated. "You started acting weird. I can only assume it was the drug in you, taking affect, but, I remember you talking to me."  
  
"I remember talking to you. I remember seeing-"  
  
"Your grandfather."  
  
Legolas nodded. "And Tarduain, and his head guard."  
  
"It wasn't them, Legolas. The three you saw weren't evil. Maybe it was the drug that triggered the image, but they were elves. Minastir, Aldarion, and Telemnar."  
  
Legolas' eyes grew wide. "No. Really? You mentioned them coming, but I never thought they were in the crowd. How on earth did they end up there?"  
  
"Went here first. Asked your brother where to find the city."  
  
Legolas' eyes dropped, but quickly sought those of his friend again. "I have to warn my father about the plan."  
  
"No, Legolas. That's the weirdest part. First of all, Jerilan is dead. And the plot was not against your father. It was against Mithfalas!" He finished the tale, leaving Legolas stunned.  
  
"No wonder I slipped away from it. I didn't want to remember any of that." Legolas had his back turned to Aragorn, pulling off the shirt his father had given him. His own was finally clean, and so he went to put it back on. He looked down, lightly fingering the small J. He sighed, and slipped into his tunic.  
  
Aragorn watched his friend carefully. He knew something was wrong. He'd known it for a long time, but Legolas was not forthcoming with the information. "Are you all right, Legolas?"  
  
"I am fine."  
  
Legolas didn't want the man to see his scar. The scar was a symbol of weakness, helplessness, fear, and pain; four things that the prince wanted to forget.  
  
"So you killed him, then?" Aragorn let the elf change the topic. "No, it was one of the elves. He was just saying how time was running out, and wham! He's dead, on the ground."  
  
"I now officially owe my life to about a dozen people."  
  
"Well, technically, seven. But who's counting?"  
  
Legolas looked over his shoulder and smiled at his friend. "I wonder where my father is. I'll be returning home within the hour."  
  
"How long do you suppose it will be before I see you again?"  
  
Legolas shook his head. "Well, Elrond is finally holding that tournament. I'll be at Rivendell for that."  
  
"Oh, but that's at least two years away."  
  
"Strider, I *am* a Mirkwood elf, you know. I do not reside in Rivendell."  
  
The human smiled. "You could have fooled me."  
  
"I am a prince, Strider. I have duties to tend to. I have people to protect."  
  
"I know. I just don't understand it right now, that's all. You should be able to get away more often."  
  
"You will understand it. You will have your own people to rule over in due time."  
  
"Yeah, yeah. Are you sure you're all right?"  
  
The elf rolled his eyes. "You are going to make a wonderful mother someday, Strider."  
  
"Oh, that was funny. Look at me laughing," Aragorn said, pointing to a very serious face. Legolas could not help but to release his own peals of laughter, and his friend soon joined in.  
  
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Galadriel, Elrond, and Thranduil watched the two friends with smiles on their faces. The Lady of the Wood turned to the elf's father.  
  
"The scar will never leave him, Thranduil. He will carry it the rest of his long life."  
  
"Do I have your word that his life will indeed be long?"  
  
The Lady did not answer his question. "You are missing my point, Thranduil. It will always be a reminder to him, of what happened. He doesn't need any more reminders." Without giving the elven lord a chance to respond, she turned to Elrond, and spoke within his mind; words that would never be heard by Thranduil.  
  
"You've been as much a father to him as Thranduil has. Do not stop that now. He will need you, before it is over."  
  
"What is 'it', milady?"  
  
"You will know."  
  
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Reviewers: Am I just cruel to end a story like that? Second of all, a BIG thank you to everyone who reviewed for me! Also, I know that chapter was short, but the last one would have been way too large with this attached.  
  
SPEoD: That's awesome. That's what it was like for me. I was having private lessons with my trainer and nothing was happening, and I switched trainers, and BOOM, I was jumping courses with my hot 16.2 hh Thoroughbred. I wouldn't even canter him with my old trainer. It was amazing. Sometimes just learning with someone new makes all the difference. I didn't tell you? I'm looking for a new trainer. The deal with Apollo fell through, so I won't be buying him. I won't even go into that. I pulled my other horse out that night, at like 10:00. Weird, bad stuff was happening, and we just needed to get out. We will see Fal again. I'm so glad I've received a good response to him. I was scared no one was gonna like him. Thanks for the review, and I hope they let you switch to the other lesson!  
  
ForceofHobbit: Laughing my butt off. I never thought I'd have someone planning a wedding with Fal. That's so awesome! I'm putting your review in my favourite reviews folder. Lol. I love déjà vu, freaky stuff, huh? Thanks for the great reviews, and I hope I'll see ya next time around!  
  
Deana: I know, his brother just keeps leaving him!  
  
Leggylover03: Lol. That was funny.  
  
Angel With No Wings: Lol, interesting is what I was aiming for. And do not let the next story fool you. There will be a conflict quite soon. Lol. He's kind of forgiving him already, but after so long of hating him, it's hard, you know?  
  
DaRkMyTh: Hi! Thank you so much for reviewing! I hope to see you in the next story as well!  
  
Nenya: Lol, yeah, that's it. AFTER the new form of torture. Uhm, look below for what the next story is about. And hey, there's a preview too! It's a little different from my others, and it will be a little shorter than normal, but it'll be fun. It centers, actually, surprisingly, mostly on Aragorn. But no worries, there is a lot of Leggy. Ah, yay, you're proud of me! I know, pooy, I like Mithfalas too now. We will see more of him in the future. Anyway, it's gonna be so hard for me to kill him off. . . ::wink:: And please write a fic! I really wanna read it!  
  
Fire Eagle: Okey-dokies, this is gonna be one LONG review, so buckle your seat belt! (I love Tolkien. Leggy was my favoruite character even before the movies came out, so I've done my research on him.) Why I think he's not an only child, and definitely not the oldest: First of all, look who was at the council of Elrond. I mean, Glorfindel was there. Leggy would have to be someone really important to get chosen (For he did not volunteer in the books, he was chosen.) Look how he introduces himself: "I am one of the Nine Companions who set out with Mithrandir from Imladris," said Legolas, "and with this Dwarf, my friend, I came with Lord Aragorn." - RotK. If he's a pretty important guy, why doesn't he say he's the crown prince of Mirkwood? If he gave away Estel's identity, there was no reason to keep his own secret. Number 2: Remember in the books that Gandalf sent Gullom to King Thranduil for safe keeping, but did not tell him why. Legolas is sent to Elrond to tell him about it. First question in this event: why is the king's "only" son sent as a messenger? Surly they have elves whose soul jobs are to be messengers. As Legolas tells Elrond about Gollum, he uses extensive detail and goes on for a little over two pages. One would think that he witnessed it first hand for the amount of detail he uses. Strange, why would the king's only son be guarding a prisoner whose importance was unknown? Number 3: Besides at the council, (There was also a strange elf clad in green and brown. . .) Legolas is never referred to as a prince or Thranduil's son. Gimli, when talking to Legolas about Thranduil, says, "Your king," rather than, "Your father." Indeed, Legolas even says, "If my elven-lord allows," while Elrohir says he has a message "from my father." Strange, isn't it? This is not a strong argument, but if he is not an only child, he would not inherit his father's land, and therefore would really have no reason to let others know that he is a prince. Number 4: When talking about his people, he ALWAYS says "we." It's as if he considers himself as a normal citizen, rather than a prince. And, I'd never thought about it before, but your reasoning makes sense too. Lol, was that confusing? I can send you a really good article on it. Lol, and yes, in the story after the next one, we will see a definite conflict between friends over Arwen. ::he he:: And see, I asked out of curiosity. You are the ONLY person who knows WHY Mithfalas was exiled. Kudos! And yeah, I'll probably write a back story to that at some point.  
  
Lizzie: Lol, so not odd. I am the same exact way! Legolas in pain is hot!  
  
Dimostiel: Well why on earth did you walk on them?!?!? Silly person. Lol, yeah, Mithfalas is awesome. I love him! Not as much as Leggy tho! (Lol, you can tell when I get tired, I start using shorthand.)  
  
Elainor: We will see Fal again, that I promise. Thrandy is awesome. He's one of my fav's. Did you read Bed of Lies? That would explain some of the awkwardness-ness. Lol. But trust me, we'll see a lot more of that soon too.  
  
Lulu Bell: 8k. I thought you were trying for shorter? Mmmmm, not saying too much, but did I ever actually SAY that she doesn't like him anymore? Ha, see below, I took your advice on the story title. ( Thanks for the idea! Oh, hun, no worries. I read novels and try to rewrite them for the authors. Or I start coming up with what should happen, so I write a mental sequel for them. I'm glad you liked my philosophy. I took it my first year, and I loved the class, but unfortunately, I have so little time anyway, and there was no real use for it in either of my majors. Oh well, it was fun at any rate. Lol, I love Finding Nemo. "Goodbye Bingo, I mean Nemo!" I have friends everywhere. I need to send stuff to both coasts, California, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Texas. . . I even have one package going to Singapore. (Shipping alone is going to kill me.) I'm not sure what I'm doing for Christmas yet. One of my friends invited me to his family's for Christmas, and they live pretty close. I really want to go, but I'm torn, because I've always spent Christmas with my parents. I really don't know what to do, and I don't have long to figure it out. I might go home and make a road trip out of it. . . we'll see. So does your dad work ALL day on Christmas, or just early? Wow, jeez. You are accident-prone. Do you know what you did to your thumb/palm? I couldn't survive if I couldn't type. Hope it gets better soon! Did you watch Pirates? I did. I had so much work to do that night, too, and I watched the movie and didn't get any of it done. Ah, you should have seen my today during my breaks, scrambling to get work done. Ah, that's funny. My friend and I have nicknamed each other Barbossa and Sparrow. Thanks for the great review! I'll see you next story!  
  
Gwyn: Not necessarily spoilerific, as you so eloquently put it. ::smiles:: But I suppose we shall see, won't we? Oh, aren't I evil? Hey, he only hit Legolas once. That's it! I'm with ya on that one, but I needed it for the plot. He's a good king, I love him!  
  
Wildfire2: No romance, I swear. Anyway, I already talked to ya about that. Believe me, it is going to make for a very good Legolas/Aragorn story. Your questions about Fal are good. You picked up on some foreshadowing, though I don't know whether or not you knew you did. We will see more of Fal, though, I promise. And thanks for the nice review!  
  
WeasleyTwinsLover1112: Oh yeah, A&W is huge here. Oh, they have the best corn dogs in the world! And of course there is the root beer. . . Yeah, I made the university part. . . still waitressing, but only because I need to finish college. After that, I'll get a permanent job. I can't believe I'm giving away this huge part of my story, but. . . Thranduil will have a reaction to Fal. (::gasp:: Shame on me!) But just not yet. Oh, a standoff, hm? I hadn't thought of that, but I'm liking the idea. Tell me more of what you had in mind. . .? Pretty please?  
  
F h c: Yeah, it does seem like quite some time ago, doesn't it? It is the same story. Aw, thanks!  
  
Okay, here's the deal: The next story. I was hit by my muse, and so I need to write another story between this one, and the one I originally had following it. I will either try to write that one really fast, or I will write a back story to either Oropher or Mithfalas. Here are summaries of all three choices. Please let me know in your reviews which one you want. Whichever gets the most votes is the one I will write. (Dear Lord, I all ready bet I know which one is gonna win.) Any way, I will have to write it before I can get it up. 115 wmp, though. I can write it quickly! Anyway, please let me know.  
  
The Heart of the Matter:  
  
Aragorn and Legolas have faced many things together, including death. However, their friendship is still new, and distance, like wind to a candle, extinguishes many memories. The prince is preoccupied with matters at home, and Aragorn has traveled North for a little while. Both are going through trials and hard times that they cannot face alone. How can they help each other?  
  
It will be done a bit differently than I've done the last few, but I'm hoping it will be well-liked!  
  
A Mystery Shrouded in Lies:  
  
What really happened between Mithfalas and Thranduil? Not all of Legolas' memories are complete, and part of the story is missing. Can Legolas cope with the loss of his mother and his brother, while trying to help his father, or is it too much to ask of one elf?  
  
Family Matters:  
  
Oropher hated his son the moment he was born. He couldn't place the reason, but the match had been lit. He hid his dislike until his first grandson was born. It was then that the flame ignited. Just how far would one elf go to hurt his son?  
  
Basically, the story of what went on the first time Legolas was in Oropher's hands. Features Elrohir, and yes, Mithfalas is in it too.  
  
Your votes are appreciated! Otherwise, it'll take me FOREVER to decide, and therefore forever to upload. 


	15. Voting Results

Reviewers: Holy crackers, guys! 29 reviews in one day! That's the mostest ever! I'm amazed! (Okay, so now I have to see who sent multiples, lol.)  
  
Bec: Well, technically the next few, no matter which I write, will have Mithfalas in one way or another. And yeah, I know what you mean. Real life has stolen any concept of free time from me, lol. Hope school is going well! I've got less than two weeks to go now before Christmas break! Ooh, yeah, I always wanted an older bro too until I heard horror stories. . .  
  
HalandLeg4ever: Lol, okay, one vote for Family Matters. Thanks so much for the review!  
  
Yuki: Okay, so I'm going to count this as a vote for the sequel. The next story will come soon, I promise. If it's not a sequel, there will definitely be a sequel in the near future. Thanks for the review!  
  
Gwyn: What? He's not evil! I happen to LOVE him. Sheesh. He touched Legolas ONCE and you get all mad at me, lol. And FYI, in the next story, there happens to be very touching father/son scenes! And the only reason Fal said he couldn't be seen is because he hasn't seen Thranduil since that day! HE'S A GOOD KING! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !  
  
Brooklyn: I'm curious, why out of cruelty? So far, Family Matters is winning. I'm frankly surprised.  
  
LegolasLover2003: I'm afraid you're losing. Maybe I'll make the backstories NOW stories, just very large flashbacks, so Aragorn is included. . . ah, I dunno. We'll see. Yeah, point taken. I'm working on recapping what happened a little because I've had a few people say that they've forgotten things and had to think about it. That's my fault, thanks for the input.  
  
Deana: THANKS! Vote counted, we are now tied! This is so much fun ::smiles:: Wait, I need to stop updating people in my notes, because the result is gonna end up at the end of all of this anyway, lol. (It's late. Forgive me.)  
  
Lizzie: Uhm, well, technically, you're write, Oropher never was evil, but then, that's why I'm not Tolkien, right?  
  
Petjut1998: Vote taken, thanks! No, Legolas isn't cute. . . he is drop dead gorgeous. Even better in person. Ah, lol. (I love him.)  
  
Lauren: It took me forever to write. I used to be a lurker. Thank you so much for voting! I really appreciate it! I'll get the next story, (whichever wins,) up as soon as I can!  
  
K-rock: I need people to vote more. . . it gets so many people I haven't seen before to review! Thanks for the vote!  
  
DaRkMyTh: No vote? That was the last chapter of this story, sorry. I'll be uploading the next story (which might as well just be chapters added to this,) as soon as possible! And thanks so much for the review, I'm blushing!  
  
Fire Eagle: I gave your vote to both. I did that for someone else, too. I just won't give like, both of someone's votes to the same story, you know what I mean? Aw, I don't think anyone's ever told me that something of mine sounds AMAZING before. Thanks!  
  
Wildfire2: No! This is NOT slash! Don't worry, you will see.  
  
ForceofHobbit: Thanks! Sequel it is! Of course I will be there. Then you can come to mine and Legolas' wedding. We're silver and emerald. (Have to get technical, you know.)  
  
Nikki: Lol, seriously, this is the never ending story. I see no end in sight! (When people start telling me that they're sick of me, I'll stop.)  
  
MoonFist: Yes, but Legolas could not call him Aragorn in the presence of others, could he? I do see what you mean, though. There are times when I should have put Aragorn. (Kudos for knowing your stuff.) Did I say she died? I'm such an idiot. No, honestly, I know all about Elrond's wife. I have no clue why I said she died. Ugggg, I hate when that happens. Thank you for pointing that out. And Legolas' comment about Mirkwood elves never drinking was very highly sarcastic. Thanks for pointing that stuff out though! I appreciate it. (I can't believe I said she died. . .) Legolas and Arwen are not going to get together. . . I know it's wrong. Arwen's technically his second cousin, but then, she's also related to Aragorn. You'll see them in a later chapter, but trust me, I don't pervert Tolkien's stories that much. You just have to trust me for a little while on that one. Okay, so I fixed the wife thing? I'm going to have to go back and look at that. I know it means Hope. (See Of Elves and Men when you get the chance.) Like I said, in the prescense of strangers, Legolas couldn't say Aragorn, because. . . well, you know why, because you quite obviously know what you're talking about. Next review. . . sadistic. . . should I be worried? Oh God, you are going to hate chapter 12. . . you are absolutely going to hate it, I'm sure. . . ::cringes:: Wait. . . you weren't ready to shoot me after chapter 12? I'm amazed! Thanks!  
  
Leggylover03: Update soon, with no vote? Hm?  
  
Nenya: Okay, but I have two involving Mithfalas. . . I'll cast a vote for both, then. Yes, I got it the very day it came out. I even cut class to go buy it. (Shame on me, I know, but I'm obsessed.) So you mean to leave me sitting at some computer with not but a review and word it's the one I need, watching you type away on my computer? Sorry. . .  
  
Sky14: No no no, no apologies! How long did it take me to review? I've been so loaded with term papers and my thesis's. I'm the one apologizing here! Glad you're back, though!  
  
Dy: Okay, vote counted. I don't think Aragorn will be there for that meeting. That's very personal, isn't it? He'll hear all about it from Leggy though, that's for certain.  
  
Keary: Awesome, thanks!  
  
Dimostiel: I'll cast a vote for both for you. Ew, great, lots of Mini Bobs coming my way. Or going into the forest like in Harry Potter. One can only hope.  
  
SPEoD: NO! I like SPEoD as a name. It always makes me think of Elrond. Yeah, I know, the plot bunnies ran wild. There is actually gonna be a Secret Alliances 2 because not all of the loose ends were tied up.  
  
Lulu Bell: 7k, working our way down to a small review, huh? Lol. Witches were burnt at the stake. Well, if they burned they weren't a witch. If they didn't burn, they were a witch and were killed. So you died either way. Ha, I loved that too. Mommy Aragorn. . . has a ring, doesn't it? Okay, vote counted. I will tell you who I thought would win right above the atual result. Lol. Down below. I finally got all of my shopping done. Now I just have to worry about shipping and wrapping. Lol. I'm Sparrow, she's Barbossa. I dunno, I haven't seen her in a while either. Anyway, see you next story, whichever wins! Good luck at your game! You'll do great!  
  
Leapinglizards83: Don't worry, I won't!  
  
Kurafoxgirl: Lol, I can too do that. I'll count that as a vote for the sequel. Thanks!  
  
Luthien: Wow. Someone turned violent.  
  
Also: to whomever asked me Aragorn's age of now, he's about 29 or 30. I realize that may not coincide with certain events, please forgive me.  
  
Now for the results: Here's what we have.  
  
Mystery Shrouded in Lies: 4 votes  
  
Family Matters: 10 votes  
  
Heart of the Matter: 10 votes  
  
A tie, so it looks as though I have to decide which one to write anyway. We're gonna go with The Heart of the Matter, and then I'll work on the back stories. To be honest, I thought the one strictly about Mithfalas was going to win, since he had such a huge response, but that only got four votes. Funny ol' world, innit? (Sorry, my Pirates phase there.)  
  
Anyway, I will try not to make it too long before the first posting of that, but remember I do actually have to write it. Anyway, you know what to be looking for! Thanks for voting! 


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